The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has promoted the important role of growing properly certified forestry plantations to fight global climate change – including planting one billion new trees in Australia by 2030 – at its first organised event at COP27 in Egypt overnight, Chief Executive Officer of AFPA Ross Hampton said.
“The multi-faceted benefits of certified timber plantations around the globe are quite amazing. Not only do they grow timber and wood fibre that is manufactured into a range of essential products, but they also fight climate change on a grand scale, drawing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, locking carbon in the trees and the products they create Ross Hampton said.
“With the global population on the rise and demand for timber and wood fibre set to quadruple by 2050, it’s critical the world achieves best practice in cultivating and managing sustainable forestry plantations. Recent UN FAO research suggests 33 million hectares of new plantations are needed to meet future demand and Australia can definitely help lead the way by achieving our billion new production trees by 2030 goal.”
Speakers at this event included:
- The Hon Joel Fitzgibbon – Former Australian Minister and AFPA Board Member
- Walter Schalka – CEO of Brazilian Pulp & Paper company, Suzano
- Michael Barbara – Director of Business Development at New Forests
- Ranjila Singh – Climate change mitigation expert, Climate Change and International Cooperation Division at Ministry of Economy, Fiji
- Diana Gibbs – AFPA Chair
- Pina Gervassi – Climate and Restoration Director at FSC International
- Agustin Rosello Hinrichs – President, International Forestry Students Association
- Garikanai Shoko – Regional Education Officer, Building and Wood Worker’s International
- Nat Somerville – President, Australian Women in Agriculture
“At a country level, Australia can play a modest but important climate change fighting by role planting more sustainable and certified forestry plantations. That will also help Australia achieve our billion trees by 2030 goal, all while securing future supply of essential timber and fibre,” Ross Hampton concluded.
AFPA teamed up with the Brazilian Plantation Industry (IBA) to jointly host ‘The role of certified timber plantations in keeping 1.5 alive’ in the (ICC) Pavilion at COP27.
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