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More than one million tree seedlings have been successfully planted in Victoria during July, according to the State Government. The plantings are part of the $120 million Gippsland Plantations Investment Program (GPIP) which the government says will see up to 16 million trees planted over the next decade. Source: Timberbiz The seedlings were planted across central Gippsland in partnership with Hancock Victorian Plantations, one of the largest private plantation companies in Australia. The trees will also sequester significant amounts of carbon as they grow and contribute to meeting Victoria’s nation leading emissions reduction targets by removing approximately 7.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next 25 years – the equivalent of removing more than 60,000 cars from the road per year. “More than a million trees in the ground this winter demonstrates the GPIP is well and truly underway, and HVP Plantations is excited to be getting on with the job,” HVP CEO Melanie Cook said. “This is a strong platform for our commitment to deliver a substantial boost for Victoria’s timber supply, while creating a climate-positive outcome and jobs and investment for the local communities in Gippsland.” The GPIP is the single largest investment in plantation establishment in the state’s history. Land purchases and planning approvals began in 2022 with the first plantings starting in 2023. This long-term investment in plantations underpins the government’s commitment to deliver Victoria’s Forestry Transition Program and supports the state’s exit from native forest harvesting. Victoria is Australia’s largest producer of plantation grown timber with an estate over 380,000 hectares or 22% of the national total, with five out of six trees currently harvested across the state now coming from plantations – over time, this investment will make it six out of six. “As Victoria grows there will continue to be very strong demand for plantation timber products. These trees are providing new jobs and opportunities and will be the literal building blocks of our future housing and infrastructure,” Member for Eastern Victoria Tom McIntosh said.

Australia’s forest industries will celebrate National Forestry Day on Tuesday 20 August 2024. On National Forestry Day everyone is encouraged to recognise the excellent work Australia’s forest industries do for us all fighting climate change, supporting the national economy and creating the essential and sustainable products Australians love, need and use every day, Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) CEO, Diana Hallam said. Source: Timberbiz “Australia’s forestry supply chain is responsible for renewable and vital everyday items from timber house-frames to home furnishings and paper and packaging products like cardboard boxes and paper cups. These are climate-friendly items we cannot live without. “We provide 80,000 highly skilled and direct jobs across Australia’s workforce, along with another 100,000 indirect jobs, many in rural and regional areas. The sector contributes $24 billion to the economy annually and is Australia’s 6th largest manufacturing sector. “This year’s National Forestry Day theme is Nature’s Carbon Store which highlights how important the sector is as a climate change solution. As production trees grow they absorb carbon, which then continues to be stored in timber and wood fibre products and the built environment, long after the trees are sustainably harvested. We are a big part of the answer to Australia reaching its net zero goals. “With demand for timber and wood fibre expected to quadruple by 2050, the Australian forest products sector plays a significant role leading the world in sustainable forest management. Our careful environmental management practices are an example to other nations looking to maximise the potential of their forest sectors, through active replanting and prudent regulations. “Whether it’s the timber house-frame inside the walls of your home, the cardboard boxes your latest delivery arrived in, or the hardwood dining table in your living area, without Australia’s sustainable and renewable forest products sector, we wouldn’t have these locally made products. “I strongly encourage everyone across industry and the consumers of all of our wonderful products to celebrate National Forestry Day on Tuesday 20 August,” Diana Hallam concluded.

The misuse of the term native forestry has the potential to unfairly tarnish Tasmania’s sustainable forestry industry, writes Nick Steel. One of the constants in Tasmanian political discourse is the argument around Tasmania’s “native forestry”. It’s a catch-all term loved by the opponents of our industry and is cleverly used to muddy the waters of what we do. Our detractors like to talk about native forestry and old growth forests in parallel, to confuse what native forestry is but that misinformation benefits no one. Vast swaths of forestry in Tasmania comes from hardwood plantations, often held in private estate, yet still subject to some of the world’s most stringent environmental protections. Our naysayers will incorrectly claim this estate, carefully planted and grown as a production crop, is native forestry because of the use of eucalyptus trees. But these are clearly plantations, managed for a range of wood products and environmental benefits. Then there’s our sustainable managed regrowth forests. These are on land specifically earmarked for production forestry, regularly harvested and regenerated again – using seeds harvested from the same forestry coupes to ensure biodiversity. If a managed regrowth forest is left in the ground for longer, this becomes mature forest. It’s not old growth as our detractors would have you believe, but rather production forests which have been left for longer periods. Finally, Tasmania does harvest a small quantity of old growth forests, in land set aside for productions forests and used mostly for special species timber – crucial in traditional industries such as boatbuilding and furniture making. It’s a tiny part of what we do, but it’s an important part of Tasmanian culture. Production forestry makes up only a small fragment of our state, with over two thirds of the state’s forests permanently protected in parks and reserves – and much of the remaining on private property. The small part we harvest each year supports thousands of jobs, scores of regional communities, and helps keep the Tasmanian economy moving. Nick Steel is Chief Executive Officer of the Tasmanian Forest Products Association

FORESTRY NOW 2024 is a State of the Industry Review which includes observations from our political leaders, industry analysts, key investors, processors, national industry leaders, forest managers and more. We believe the time is again right to take a snapshot of where we are and where we may be heading as an industry across the country. FORESTRY NOW provides the platform for that discussion and will be a must-read in the September/October edition of Australian Forest & Timber News.