New data shows a spike in the proportion of Australians who believe forest industries provide important products for the country, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) Ross Hampton said today.
Results from a new a national survey conducted by Vociniq, Community Trust in Australia's Rural Industries, of thousands of people, shows an 8 per cent uptick - from 74.8 per cent in 2019 to 82.8 per cent in 2021 - of Aussies who believe 'the forestry industry provides important products for Australia'.
Ross Hampton said, "Events of the past few years like the COVID-pandemic and onset of war in Ukraine have forced Australians to deal with supply chain disruptions for all sorts of products including forest products. It's not until you don't have quick and easy access to them that you realise how important items like framing timber, toilet paper and fibre-based packaging products are when you need them!
"The growing awareness and importance Aussies are placing on forest products is critical because it shines a brighter light on the looming timber and fibre supply crisis we will reach if more production trees aren't planted today, to meet the demand of tomorrow.
"If Australia doesn't urgently plant one billion new forestry production trees by 2030, we will experience massive shortages in timber and fibre supply by 2050, worsened by burgeoning global demand for sustainably produced forest-based products.
"Aussies are increasingly recognising the importance of forest products and their benefits in helping tackle climate change and governments need to follow suit with policies to increase our local, sustainable sources of timber and fibre supply," Ross Hampton concluded.
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