MEDIA RELEASE
Picture opportunity for Members and Senators with Santa and Christmas tree at the Senate Entrance Foyer between 11:30am and 12:30pm (today).
The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) and Canberra Christmas tree delivery company, “the Christmas Tree Truck” are delivering real Christmas trees to Australian Parliament House today (Tuesday), exemplifying the positive contribution forest products industries can make to climate change.
The President of the Senate the Hon Stephen Parry and the Speaker of the House of Representatives the Hon Tony Smith have both agreed to display real Christmas trees in the entrance to the Senate and the House of Representatives.
AFPA Chief Executive Officer Mr Ross Hampton said, “Each tree is just one small example of all trees grown in our commercial plantations and forests around Australia. Each year more than 40 million trees are planted in our commercial plantation forests ensuring that our Australian forestry operations are completely sustainable.”
“These modestly sized trees represent the multiple benefits of our industries. As well as providing timber, each of these trees has removed some 18 kilograms of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during its growth and is storing around 5 kilograms of carbon in roots, branches and trunk; the equivalent to the emissions from driving almost 100 kilometres in the average Australian car.”
“Australia’s 2 million hectares of plantation forests captures almost 13 megatonnes of carbon dioxide every year, providing a carbon emissions offset equivalent to around 2.5% of Australia’s net carbon emissions. This makes managed forests and commercial plantations, as well as the wood, paper and other products they provide, the only carbon positive sector of the economy.”
“This year our Federal Parliamentarians are celebrating a truly real, traditional Christmas, and also showing their support for the 120,000 Australians who proudly work in the full value chain of forestry with its sustainable operations in both plantations and natural regrowing forests,” said Mr Hampton.
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