Firewood Association of Australia

The Firewood Association of Australia was established in October 2005 to represent the Australian commercial firewood supply industry. The need for a whole of industry representative body was highlighted during the development of the government's Voluntary Code of Practice for Firewood Suppliers.

After the Code was accepted by the Natural Resources Management Ministerial Council the next step was to encourage its adoption by the firewood industry. Government policy was to encourage consumers to buy from the environmentally responsibility members of the industry who comply with the Code, and to reduce the environmental impact of unregulated self-collection and illegal harvesting. There are plenty of firewood sellers who create a negative image for the industry, by selling wet or incorrectly measured firewood, or by stocking environmentally unacceptable firewood.

To be a member of the FAA a firewood supplier must make a commitment to comply with the Code of Practice. Compliance to the Code is assessed by audit before FAA membership is granted.

The constitutional division of powers in Australia means that most legislation concerning the harvesting and sale of firewood is controlled by the individual states and their local governments. However, the federal government has an important role to play in the industry due to its administration of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and also the National Trade Measurement Regulations 2009.

This complexity of legislation covering the industry, combined with the fact that firewood is often transported across state boundaries, makes it essential that the industry representative body is national. The firewood industry faces many political, environmental and commercial challenges that affect resource access and availability, wood heater regulation, wood smoke, industry image and consumer demand. The FAA is the only organisation that is working effectively to protect and grow the firewood industry.

There is clear evidence that firewood buyers are "choosing for the environment" by seeking out sustainable firewood suppliers, so FAA membership also provides strong and immediate commercial benefits. FAA members are promoted directly to consumers through this website and through a 1300 phone number.