Tree Allocation Partnerships Project
This project is being delivered by ForestWorks, in partnership with Skills Insight, and aims to address challenges faced by RTOs in sourcing trees for training and assessment purposes of the three manual tree felling units of competency (at basic, intermediate, and advanced levels).
In 2025 a draft Protocol and template agreement were developed in collaboration with RTOs, tree/landowners and managers and other stakeholders, with input from Minter Ellison. The Project Working Group – comprising members from arboriculture, forestry, emergency services, and land management – approved the draft for pilot testing in October.
Following a call for expressions of interest, three pilot sites were identified: Yea (Victoria), Mount Gambier (South Australia), and Brisbane (Queensland). At each site, an RTO partnered with a tree/landowner or manager to test the Protocol and agreement under real-world conditions. The three pilots were conducted in December 2025 and included public and private RTOs, a small landowner, a government agency, a community recreational and sports organisation, and a commercial forestry company.
The pilot aimed to test how the Protocol can be used to form practical agreements between RTOs and land or tree owners, assess support materials developed for Protocol implementation, and identify potential refinements to the Protocol, template agreement, and support materials. A report on the pilot program outcomes is currently being finalised and will be available on the Project website shortly.
Once this is complete, the project team plan to develop and conduct a training session for RTOs, aimed at building the capability, confidence, and consistency of RTO staff in applying the Tree Allocation Protocol and associated agreement and support materials to secure lawful, safe, culturally respectful, and practical access to trees for nationally recognized tree-felling training and assessment.
This training will enable RTOs to transition from ad-hoc arrangements to structured, collaborative partnerships with tree and landowners or managers, following best practices established through the pilot program.
Learn about the current phase of the project here :Tree Allocation Partnerships Project – ForestWorks
For more information on this project, please contact Tim Cleary, tcleary@forestworks.com.au
In partnership with:
