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One billion trees commitment recognised as climate change solution

The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has welcomed Federal Environment Minister Melissa Price’s recognition this morning that the Coalition’s commitment to plant one billion new trees over the next decade will play a key role in meeting Australia’s climate change targets, AFPA Chief Executive Officer Mr Ross Hampton said today.

“This morning on national ABC radio program AM, Environment Minister Melissa Price discussed the new national forest industries plan and used it as an example of how Australia can meet climate targets,” Mr Hampton said.

Minister Price – Only a couple of weeks ago, we announced our new forestry plan, which is a plan to build (grow) one billion trees and create some 18,000 jobs”.

“It is pleasing that there is increasing interest in the vital role that growing Australia’s plantation estate through initiatives identified in the national forest industries plan can play in tackling climate change and creating jobs across the country,” Mr Hampton said.

“Earlier this year AFPA released the ‘18 by 2030 – Forest industries help tackle Australia’s climate change challenge’ strategy, which outlined that with the right government policies, forest industries can be responsible for removing 18 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent from Australia’s economy, per year from 2030.

“Furthermore, it was noted in a column by Environment Editor Graham Lloyd in today’s Australian that, “Support by the Australian government for plans to plant one billion trees to reboot our plantation timber industry has received scant attention, yet this measure could achieve about one-quarter of Australia’s Paris targets, while creating an estimated 18,000 jobs.”

“AFPA will continue to spread the positive message about the new national plan and the multitude of economic and environmental benefits of planting more trees,” Mr Hampton concluded.

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