The Tasmanian Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report was welcomed by the Tasmanian Forest Products Association (TFPA) Chief Executive Officer, Nick Steel, who said the forestry industry continues to be a key part of Tasmania’s response to climate change. Source: Timberbiz
“Tasmania’s forest industries are a major driver behind reducing Tasmania’s carbon emissions and achieving the Government’s net-zero goals, as highlighted by this report,” Mr Steel said.
As production trees grow, they absorb carbon from the atmosphere and when they’re harvested, they lockup that carbon for the life of the product.
Changes in the Land Use, Land use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector have resulted in increased carbon sequestration, which has had a major influence on reducing Tasmania’s greenhouse gas emissions. LULUCF emissions were 23.78 Mt CO2-e, or 211% lower than 1990 levels.
“The latest report released today shows the key drivers for change over this period for the LULUCF sector were the change in annual emissions from the private native forest estate, an increase in sequestration in the plantation estate, and additional, and probably surprising to some, the managed public native forest estate continues to be carbon negative, as what it harvests it replaces to maintain a steady standing biocarbon stock,” Mr Steel said.
Climate change is one of the biggest threats to our future. Around the world governments are responding to this threat and, in Tasmania, the forest industry is leading the charge.
In Tasmania, every single tree harvested, both plantation and native, is replaced by either regenerating native forests or through the cycle of plantation replanted. And that tree captures more carbon as it grows again.
“Forestry is a cornerstone of sustainable economic development in Tasmania, offering a myriad of direct and indirect benefits to our community,” Mr Steel said.
“Our forestry industry is sustainable, renewable and is part of the solution to climate change.”
