Section 48 of the Forestry Act obliges every District Council to establish a DFO in accordance with relevant Sections and Regulations of the LGs Act 1997. Regulation 8 of the Forestry Regulations states the purpose of the DFDP, and requires every district to develop a DFDP that must be mainstreamed in the District Development Plan. Schedule 3 of the Forestry Regulations provides detailed a guide for developing the DFDP.
Instruction 339: The rules and guidelines in Schedule 3 of the Forestry Regulations shall be the minimum procedural requirements to be followed when preparing the DFDP, but the procedures may be expanded to take account of emerging developments on the national and international scenes, and depending on the theory of change for a particular district.