Forest Industries

What Forest Industries does

Forest Industries Federation WA (FIFWA) is a private, membership-based peak industry body founded in 1895 that represents the Western Australian forest products industry. It is headquartered at Level 6, 251 Adelaide Terrace, Perth, with a secondary office in Bentley, and operates with a staff of six. Its membership is open to all businesses in the native and plantation forestry value chain — forest growers, harvest and haul operators, softwood and hardwood processors, sawmillers, and associated businesses — and its remit covers an industry that the organisation itself reports as generating A$1.4 billion in annual economic activity and supporting approximately 6,000 Western Australian jobs, 90% of which are located in regional communities.

FIFWA's core outputs are advocacy, safety standards, and certification coordination rather than commercial products. It maintains the FIFWA Logging Safety Code (aligned with the Work Health and Safety Act 2020), coordinates member participation in the Australian Forestry Standard (PEFC), Forest Stewardship Council, and Responsible Wood schemes, and stewards the Djarlma Plan — a proprietary strategic framework integrating Noongar traditional knowledge with sustainable forest management. Supporting tools include the Plantation Atlas and FIFWA Fire Atlas interactive mapping portals, the Welcome Mat community engagement program, the Forest Learning curriculum portal delivered through the Australian Forest Education Alliance, and policy documents covering both native and plantation sectors.

Revenue is generated through annual membership dues, which are not publicly disclosed, supplemented by grant and partnership-funded programs such as the Regional Forestry Collaborative Leadership Program (with Forest and Wood Products Australia and the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation) and the Safe and Skilled safety charter. The organisation's strategic posture has shifted materially following the September 2021 WA Labor Government announcement ending native forest logging from 2024, which directly affects the A$220 million native timber sub-segment and has catalysed FIFWA's defensive policy advocacy, public communications, and pivot toward plantation and education-focused initiatives.

Name

Forest Industries

Legal name

Forest Industries Federation WA

Website

https://forestindustries.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Forest Industries Federation WA (FIFWA) is the peak industry body founded in 1895 that represents Western Australia's forest products industry through advocacy, safety standards, certification coordination, and policy development for member businesses across native and plantation forestry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forestry Industry Association

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable Forest Certification & Chain-of-Custody Services (FSC/PEFC/SFI) (IMAMAJAJ)

Keywords

• Forest industry advocacy
• Membership association services
• Forest safety standards
• Sustainability certification coordination
• Industry policy representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: FIFWA generates revenue through membership fees from businesses in the native and plantation forestry industries including forest growers, harvest and haul operators, softwood and hardwood processors, sawmillers and associated businesses.
2. Safety Code Templates: Exclusive access to Safety Code templates available to FIFWA members for workplace health and safety compliance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FIFWA is the peak industry body representing Western Australia's forest products industry, providing advocacy and policy representation to state and local governments. The organization delivers member-exclusive workplace safety standards and code templates, coordinates sustainability certification schemes (AFS/PEFC, FSC, and Responsible Wood), and operates interactive mapping tools (Plantation Atlas and FIFWA Fire Atlas). It also runs the Djarlma Plan strategic framework, community engagement programs such as Welcome Mat, the Safe and Skilled industry safety program, and curriculum-aligned Forest Learning education resources for the WA forestry value chain.

Product overview

FIFWA operates as an industry association rather than a product company. The organization provides advocacy and representational services for the WA forest products industry, along with member programs including Plantation Atlas (interactive mapping tool), FIFWA Fire Atlas, the Djarlma Plan strategic framework, and the Forestry Safety Code. It also publishes key documents such as the Native Forest Policy Document and Plantation Policy Document, supports education through Forest Learning resources, and runs community initiatives like Welcome Mat. No commercial software products are sold.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FIFWA Membership Annual membership in the peak industry body representing Western Australia's forest products industry, providing advocacy to state and local governments, media representation, safety code access, and certification coordination for businesses in native and plantation forestry.
• FIFWA Forestry Safety Code Industry health and safety code providing guidance on workplace safety in forestry operations, including risk assessment and control measures, with member-exclusive access to Safety Code templates for workplace health and safety compliance.
• Plantation Atlas Interactive mapping tool that allows users to access and analyze data on Western Australian plantation forests, available to member businesses through the FIFWA Plantation Atlas Users portal.
• FIFWA Fire Atlas Interactive mapping tool providing fire-related data relevant to the Western Australian forest industry, accessible through the FIFWA member portal.
• Djarlma Plan Strategic framework for long-term regional economic well-being, ecological sustainability, and social benefits for the WA forestry industry, integrating Noongar traditional knowledge with scientific forest management.
• Welcome Mat Project promoting the timber industry by empowering existing industry members, including a virtual tour of Western Australia's timber industry to engage the community and prospective workforce.
• Forest Learning Australian Curriculum aligned teaching and learning resources about forests, delivered at no cost through the Australian Forest Education Alliance to support forest education in schools.
• Safe and Skilled Program Industry program enhancing safety and awareness of employees in Australia's forest industries, with 12 lifesaving commitments and a charter committing members to ensure forest workers hold nationally recognised units of competency.
• Key Documents Library Repository of industry documents including annual reports, safety codes, policy documents, infographics, and industry pledges, made available through the FIFWA Media Centre.
• Industry Sectors and Occupational Outcomes Guide Career pathway guide showing positions and qualifications in the Western Australian forest industry, supporting workforce development and prospective member recruitment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6000 WA jobs supported by the timber industry
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Australian Rural Leadership FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Delivery partner for the Regional Forestry Collaborative Leadership Program, providing leadership training for future industry leaders.
• Forest and Wood Products AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on the 'For Our Future' Regional Forestry Collaborative Leadership Program for mid-level managers, equipping future leaders with industry-leading skills and knowledge.
• Forest Products Commission (FPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funded the review of the FIFWA Logging Safety Code 2016 and jointly responsible with FIFWA for ensuring actions of the Djarlma Plan are completed.
• PF OlsencoreTechnology or IntegrationAppointed to review the FIFWA Logging Safety Code 2016, aligning content with WHS Act 2020. Also provides plantation management services and operates Plantation Atlas.
• Australian Forest Contractors AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSigned the Safe and Skilled charter committing members to ensure forest workers hold nationally recognised units of competency by December 2020.
• Australian Forest Products AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIFWA is a member; jointly signed the Safe and Skilled charter for safety and skills development in forest industries.
• Australian Forest Education AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of forest educators and forestry communication specialists providing Australian Curriculum aligned teaching resources for forest education.
• Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting AuthorityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Australian Forest Education Alliance to ensure forest education resources are aligned with national curriculum.
• Australian Forest Products AssociationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFederal representative body that FIFWA works closely with along with counterparts in other Australian states.
• Conservation and Parks CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment body with which Forest Management Plan is vested, responsible for overseeing sustainable forest management.
• Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and AttractionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment department administering the Forest Management Plan and responsible for enforcing compliance with sustainable forest management.
• WA Forest Communities NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBranch network supporting regional timber communities, facilitated by FIFWA to promote industry community engagement.
• South West Regional Forestry HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional forestry hub for the South West of WA, with project manager announced in 2019 to drive industry coordination and development.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Conservation Council of WA: CCWA is Western Australia's peak environmental advocacy body and a counterparty to FIFWA in native forestry policy debates. It is a relevant adjacent organization because FIFWA's advocacy success on the native forestry ban is shaped by CCWA's competing policy influence.

Direct peers

• Wesbeam: Wesbeam is a major WA-based engineered wood products manufacturer and a FIFWA member company. It is a direct peer in the WA forest products value chain that FIFWA represents, providing insight into member-level needs for resource security, certification, and safety standards.
• Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA): FWPA is the industry-funded R&D and marketing body for the Australian forest and wood products sector. FIFWA partners with FWPA on the Regional Forestry Collaborative Leadership Program, making FWPA a peer in industry services, research dissemination, and collective marketing.
• Timber Queensland: Timber Queensland is the state-level industry association for Queensland's forest products sector, structurally identical to FIFWA. It provides a direct state-by-state peer for benchmarking membership models, advocacy campaigns, and certification coordination.
• Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA): AFPA is the national peak body representing Australia's forest products industry and is FIFWA's federal-level counterpart. Both organizations operate as membership-based advocacy bodies for the forest products sector and jointly signed the Safe and Skilled charter.
• Australian Forest Contractors Association: AFCA represents forest contracting and harvesting businesses nationally and is a direct safety and skills partner of FIFWA. Both organizations coordinate industry workforce competency standards and represent contractor voices to government.

Regional players

• NZ Forest Owners Association: NZFOA is the New Zealand equivalent of FIFWA, representing commercial forest owners across the Tasman. As a trans-Tasman peer, it offers a comparable membership-based advocacy model for sustainable plantation forestry and could be a benchmark for FIFWA's plantation-focused strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Australia: FSC Australia is the national implementation arm of the global FSC forest certification scheme, which FIFWA members are certified through. As the upstream certification standard-setter that FIFWA coordinates with, it is a comparable industry-influencing body focused on sustainability credentials.
• Forest Products Commission (FPC): FPC is the WA Government statutory body that manages Crown timber assets and holds AFS/PEFC, FSC, ISO 14001 certifications. It is FIFWA's closest institutional partner in WA (co-funded Safety Code review, Djarlma Plan delivery) but operates as a regulator-landowner rather than a member advocacy body.
• Responsible Wood (PEFC Australia): Responsible Wood operates the Australian Forestry Standard (AFS/PEFC) scheme that FIFWA coordinates for WA members. It is a peer organization focused on chain-of-custody certification services and sustainable forestry endorsement in the Australian market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forest-industries

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forest Industries