The Firewood Association of Australia Inc.

The Firewood Association of Australia was established and incorporated in October 2005 to fulfil the work and vision of government, by operating a certification program to enable firewood suppliers to demonstrate compliance to the government's Code of Practice for sustainable firewood suppliers; as well as to achieve widespread public awareness of the Code of Practice to influence consumer choice.  Marketplace evidence that firewood buyers are "choosing for the environment" by seeking out certified sustainable firewood suppliers provides a commercial motivation for the industry to participate in the FAA certification program.

   The FAA Management Committee

 

President	Stephen McNamara	Enviro Systems Renewable Resources
Vice President	Barry Fry	Freo Firewood
Secretary	Mark Parsons	B C Sands
Treasurer	Greg Traeger	Adelaide Wholesale Landscape Supplies
Member	Ken O'Brien	O'Brien's Redgum Sawmills
Member	Joel Belnick	Jetmaster Fireplaces (Aust)

   FAA Membership

There are three categories of membership in the Association.  Full membership, associate membership and affiliate membership.

FULL MEMBERS

Full membership of the Association is open to all persons and enterprises actively involved in the commercial firewood supply industry, including firewood cutters, firewood wholesalers, retail merchants and bagged or packaged firewood distributors.  To be a full member of the Association a person or enterprise must be a licensed supplier of certified sustainable firewood under the FAA Certification Scheme, which certifies compliance to the Code of Practice.  The following rights and benefits apply to full members:-

      

• Receive certification manual on application.

• Issued individual Licence Number.

• Licensed rights to use individual certified sustainable firewood supplier logo in advertising, documentation and promotion.

• Web listing and opportunity for links.

• Benefit from FAA promotion through the website, Sensis advertising, 1300 number responses and referrals, print media, copies of newsletters and brochures for distribution including point of sale.

• Annual compliance assessments & reports, follow up, on-site visits.

• Review of relevant legislation, receipt of manual updates.

• Benefit from FAA stakeholder relations, representations and statements on issues affecting the firewood industry.

• Access to web database.

• General member support and advice.

• Member networking opportunities.

• Voting rights at general meetings.  Entitled to serve as an office bearer on the Committee of Management.

For an application form click here.

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

Associate membership of the Association is open to all persons and enterprises involved in the commercial firewood supply industry.  This membership category is suitable for persons or enterprises that wish to support the Association, but do not seek the benefits of being recognised as certified sustainable firewood suppliers.  The following rights and benefits are provided for associates:-

• Use of associate logo.

• Benefit from FAA stakeholder relations, representations and statements on issues affecting the firewood industry.

• Web listing and opportunity for links.

• Access to web database.

• General member support and advice.

• Member networking opportunities.

• No voting rights at general meetings.  Entitled to serve as an ordinary member on the Committee of Management.

• Receives newsletter.

For an Associate membership application form click here.

AFFILIATE MEMBERS

Affiliate membership of the Association is open to all persons and enterprises that are not directly involved in the commercial firewood supply industry, who wish to support the Association.  The following rights and benefits are provided for affiliates:-

• Use of affiliate logo.

• Benefit from FAA promotion through the website, print media, copies of newsletters and brochures for distribution including point of sale.

• Benefit from FAA stakeholder relations, representations and statements on issues affecting the firewood industry.

• Web listing and opportunity for links.

• Access to web database.

• General member support and advice.

• Member networking opportunities.

• No voting rights at general meetings.  Entitled to serve as an ordinary member on the Committee of Management.

For an Affiliate membership application form click here.

For a copy of the Firewood Association of Australia Rules click here.

   FAA Fees

The Voluntary Code of Practice for Commercial Firewood Suppliers

 

As firewood suppliers, signed to this Code, we agree that:

1. We will not knowingly sell firewood that is sourced in contravention of any statutory codes of practice or other mechanisms that control forest management and vegetation clearance and relevant laws relating to firewood that apply in the relevant State or Territory.
   
2. Firewood will be sourced in accordance with sustainable management principles to protect biodiversity and ecosystem processes, including:
   • Firewood will not be collected from areas where collection may have a significant impact on listed threatened species or listed threatened ecological communities
   • Firewood will be collected in a manner that conforms to regional vegetation and catchment management/natural resource management plans and other relevant plans.
     
3. Information on all types of firewood offered for sale will be provided to consumers – including species (e.g. river red gum, yellow box, pine), locality (e.g. Western NSW, private property) and source (e.g. native forest and woodland, plantation).
   
4. Information on correct storage and burning practices will be provided to consumers.
   
5. Where practicable, seasoned firewood (i.e. that with an internal moisture content of less than 25% (dry weight)) will be sold.  Where unseasoned wood is sold it will be accompanied by advice on the time at which the wood will be sufficiently dry to burn.
   
6. Sale of firewood will be in such a manner as to ensure that consumers receive what they pay for.  Sale of firewood will comply with the requirements of relevant trade measurement regulations in each state and territory.
   
7. Firewood will preferably be sourced from harvesting operations in plantations and sustainably managed native forests that are regenerated and re-grown, or from residue from manufacturing processes or salvage operations.
   
8. Wood that is painted, coated with plastic or chemically treated will not be sold as firewood.
   
9. Data on firewood supply, including species, locality, land tenure and the nature of the harvest operations, as well as sales will be provided to the certification body.
   
10. Information about this Code and the certification system will be freely disseminated to firewood suppliers, contractors and consumers.

   The FAA Certification Scheme

The FAA Certification Scheme is the end result of a co-operative industry response to the development of a Code of Practice by Australian federal and state governments, through the Firewood Task Force of the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council.  The scheme certifies compliance with a Voluntary Code of Practice for Firewood Suppliers, which has been endorsed by the Ministerial Council.  

The aim of the Code of Practice and the certification scheme is to improve the long-term sustainability of the firewood industry, by reducing the environmental impact of its practices.  The development of the scheme has involved extensive consultation and interaction with firewood cutters and merchants, and liaison with environmental organisations.  The certification scheme includes retail merchants, wholesale distributors, re-processors (who may cross-cut, split and/or package firewood) and firewood cutters, but not landowners who authorise firewood harvesting without being directly involved in production, processing, or sale. 

Firewood suppliers who qualify as members of the certification scheme must maintain standards that reflect the objective of each of the ten elements of the Code of Practice.  The certification scheme is managed by the FAA, with regular visits to the premises and operations of certified members, to monitor compliance with these certification standards.

The FAA Certification Scheme aims to provide a clear point of difference between reputable and environmentally responsible firewood suppliers, and those who can give the industry a bad name by selling wood that may have been sourced illegally or unsustainably, may not be fully seasoned, may not be correctly measured, or may be misrepresented or incorrectly described.  To achieve this aim, the FAA seeks to achieve widespread consumer awareness of the certification scheme, and to influence purchasing decisions and the choice of firewood supplier.  Changes in buyer behaviour will have an impact on the commercial standards of firewood merchants.  The industry’s future viability depends on maintaining access to sustainable firewood resources; therefore the scheme aims to improve support for the industry from all levels of government, and to increase community acceptance and understanding of the environmental benefits of firewood as a source of renewable energy.

The Code of Practice and the FAA certification scheme provide a clear and positive answer to community concerns about the environmental impact of both firewood harvesting and smoke emission.  The certification scheme also addresses matters related to business ethics, good commercial practice and fair-trading. 

By complying with the Code of Practice, FAA members are able to advertise their status as "certified firewood suppliers".  By exercising their licensed rights to use the certification mark and associated promotional tools, FAA certified firewood suppliers can obtain the following benefits:

• Opportunities to increase sales and market share,

• More efficient policing of regulations, by allowing government bodies to concentrate their efforts and limited resources on firewood suppliers who do not abide by the Code of Practice,

• Better control over illegal harvesting and other unscrupulous business practices, leading to reduced price pressure from this form of unfair competition,

• Access to industry statistics and market information,

• Access to updates on relevant laws and regulations,

• Better communication and co-ordination within the industry, so that industry issues and threats can be effectively addressed.

 FAA members certified under the Code of Practice will benefit from increased consumer recognition and market share.  Consumers who buy from "certified firewood suppliers" can be confident that their firewood has been harvested responsibly and will burn efficiently.

The certification scheme encourages merchants to buy from certified wholesalers and cutters, as this makes it simpler to demonstrate compliance and reduces paperwork.  This provides a market opportunity for participating cutters and distributors, and sets up a simple and practical "chain of custody" system.