New CSIRO research commissioned by the Climate Change Authority with co-funding from the Clean Energy Regulator into Australia's carbon sequestration, states forestry currently provides 'significant potential' to help Australia meet its climate goals, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) Ross Hampton said today.
"Australia's forest industries will be a major driver behind reducing Australia's carbon emissions and achieving the Government's net-zero goals, and this new report highlights that potential," Ross Hampton said.
"Demand for sustainably produced timber and wood fibre products is increasing rapidly, and growing more trees nationally, supported by a job rich industry, is the best way to help Australia reduce emissions while producing a supply chain for essential products, from house frames to printing paper."
The report, Australia's carbon sequestration potential states:
"…nature-based technologies such as permanent plantings, plantation and farm forestry, and soil carbon provide significant potential…"
"As production trees grow, they absorb carbon from the atmosphere and when they're harvested, they lockup that carbon in the sustainable products their timber and wood-fibre produce," Ross Hampton said.
"Commonwealth funding is assisting vital growth in forestry, but we still don't have enough trees to meet our future demand which is why it's essential Australia meets the billion new trees by 2030 goal.
"We welcome this recognition of forestry's potential in carbon sequestration from CSIRO and remind everyone that forest industries stand ready to contribute further to fight climate change," Ross Hampton concluded.
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