Michelle Freeman

The first joint Australia and New Zealand Forest Valuation Standard was formally launched at the 2026 Forest Valuation Summit in Melbourne today, with Forestry Australia President Dr Michelle Freeman and New Zealand Institute of Forestry President James Treadwell cutting the cake in Melbourne. …The framework consolidates national standards last revised in Australia in 2010 and in New Zealand in 1999 into a single trans-Tasman benchmark covering plantation and native forests alike, developed with support from Forest and Wood Products Australia. The launch was accompanied by the release of the Australian Carbon Standard Exposure Draft — the first formal step toward standardising carbon accounting within the sector’s valuation framework. Dr Freeman said the milestone reached beyond valuation practice to forestry’s standing as a global asset class. “The merging of the separate country-level standards held by Forestry Australia and NZIF reflects the strength and value of ongoing collaboration and partnership between our countries, our industries and professional organisations.”