Today, 1 August, is National Forestry Planting Day, and a time to celebrate Australia’s most sustainable and renewable industries, our forestry industries, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA), Mr Ross Hampton said today.
“Each season, winter in southern Australia and summer in northern Australia, around 70 million new and renewable trees are planted to support our sustainable forest industries,” Mr Hampton said.
“We should celebrate the fact that our forest industries, which support both regional and metropolitan communities, and provide income for tens of thousands of families nationally, also make an enormous positive environmental contribution.
“Every year, enough seedlings are planted to cover an area equivalent to 136,000 football fields. This is an enormous annual task for forest industries and they should be congratulated for the effort.
“Forest industries contribute about $24 billion to the economy each year and provide 120,000 direct jobs across the whole supply chain.
“Furthermore, the tree planting season ensures Australia has a continual, renewable biological resource that contributes to long-term carbon emissions abatement. In fact, Australia’s current plantation estate stores an estimated 171 million tonnes of carbon.
“National Forestry Planting Day is a reason to stop and think about how thriving forest industries make a positive environmental contribution, and I encourage everyone to express their support,” Mr Hampton concluded.
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