Curtis Pitt, Speaker of the Queensland Parliament, Tony Perrett, Member for Gympie & Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of the Queensland Forest and Timber Industry, Mick Stephens, CEO Timber Queensland and Bruce Saunders, Member for Maryborough & Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of the Queensland Forest and Timber Industry
Queensland’s Parliamentarians and forest and timber industry representatives celebrated the start of the festive season late last week with the unveiling of a “live” Christmas tree located in the building’s foyer. Source: Timberbiz
Grown in Queensland, the pine tree is festooned with locally grown and processed plywood decorations in the shape of a tree – symbolising the growth of Queensland’s $2.4 billion forest and timber industry.
The Speaker of the Queensland Parliament, Curtis Pitt, was joined at the event by the co-chairs of Queensland’s Parliamentary Friends of the Forest and Timber Industry network Bruce Saunders, Member for Maryborough and Tony Perrett, Member for Gympie.
The occasion was celebrated with a contingent of Parliamentary colleagues from around the Chamber to “launch” the tree, including Mick de Brenni, Minister for Public Works and Procurement and Deb Frecklington, Shadow Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing.
Timber Queensland’s Strategic Relations and Communications Manager Clarissa Brandt, said the Queensland forest products industry was once again pleased to assist with the provision of a live tree, a trend which is rapidly gaining popularity as consumers turn away from artificial trees.
“A real Christmas tree is a sustainable choice as it removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it grows and stores it in the stem and branches, highlighting the carbon friendly nature of well-managed forestry activities,” said Mrs Brandt.
“A live Christmas tree can also lift the festive spirit of everyone visiting the Parliament through the fresh smell of pine and provides joy through our natural affinity with plants.
“Surrounding the tree are ‘southern pine’ seedlings kindly donated by HQPlantations, the largest commercial plantation grower in the state. These seedlings represent the renewability of the industry, where every five minutes in Queensland the plantation softwood industry grows enough wood to build another timber framed home.
“We particularly acknowledge the support of the Speaker of the House and the Queensland Speakers Office, in promoting the tradition of a live Christmas tree in Parliament”.
The tree provided to the Queensland Parliament is a Monterey pine otherwise known as radiata pine (Pinus radiata), that is commonly grown for Christmas trees in Australia due to its conical shape and form. The seedlings comprise Pinus caribaea and Pinus Elliottii hybrids, the major commercial pine species grown in Queensland for timber products.
