Tomorrow, Tuesday, 20 August marks National Forestry Day, with this year’s theme Celebrating Nature’s Carbon Store. For Forest Industries Federation WA Chief Executive Officer Adele Farina, this year’s National Forestry Day theme could not be more apt. Source: Timberbiz
“Choosing timber products helps to fight climate change and that is a rather special position we as an industry find ourselves in,” Ms Farina said.
“The trees we plant absorb carbon dioxide and store it as carbon, which is locked up in that timber for its life span. We harvest those trees to supply timber products and then replant more seedlings, so the cycle begins again.
“The word sustainable gets thrown around a lot these days, but we can proudly use that term to describe our industry.”
As well as essential products and environmental benefits, Ms Farina said WA’s forest industries also provide significant employment, underpinning regional communities and creating renewable and sustainable products.
WA’s plantation sector, which consists of hardwood and softwood varieties, contributes more than 1.18 billion dollars of economic activity.
Plantation timber is used to make the timber frames for homes, engineered wood products used to build new multi-storey residential and commercial buildings, wood-based panels for kitchens, pallets, and wood fibre used to manufacture paper, packaging and bioproducts, replacing single use plastics. In addition, residues go into making potting mix, mulches, composts and landscaped products for gardens.
