The world leading sustainability, sovereign capability and climate credentials of Australia’s native forestry industry are highlighted in a new Commonwealth Government report analysing our native forests and wood production, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA), Diana Hallam said today.
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARES) Insights Australia’s native forests and wood production report shows about 0.05 per cent of Australia’s native forests (about 65,000 hectares) are sustainably harvested annually to produce timber and wood-fibre products. All of those forests are then required by law to be regenerated after harvest.
“AFPA welcomes this ABARES report which reaffirms what our native forestry industry lives and breathes by – that sustainably harvesting timber for wood production is essential to create everyday products like house-frames, decking, flooring, furniture, power poles, pallets, packaging and paper. It also reaffirms that sustainable native forestry is not ‘deforestation’ because every harvested tree is replaced, and that our native production forests support diverse and unique biodiversity and have an important role to play fighting climate change, through the creation of carbon friendly products and active forest management,” Diana Hallam said.
“Importantly, the report shows our total national forest area grew by 2.8 million hectares from 2008 to 2021 and that the total area of multiple-use public native forests, where wood harvesting is permitted, has more than halved since the mid-1990s to 4.3 million hectares, or just 3.3 per cent of Australia’s total native forest area in 2021. The percentage of accessible area has reduced even further to just 2.1 per cent off the back off forced industry closures in Victoria and Western Australia. This should help put to rest activist claims that our sustainable industry is destroying forests, something that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s worth noting that in the European Union around 84 per cent of natural forests are available for harvest and wood production.
“The report also raises the challenge around decreasing wood supply from our forests over the past 20 years, a trend that is worsening from those state based industry closures. We know imports, often with supply chain sustainability issues, are increasingly being forced to fill the gap between supply and demand. Furthermore, we welcome the report’s recognition that plantations cannot replace native sawlog supply.
“We welcome this ABARES report that demonstrates the important role of sustainable native forestry for essential products, the economy, jobs, environment and climate and thank the Albanese Government for its release,” Diana Hallam concluded.