Forestry Australia Proposal: Expanding carbon credits to native forests
Forestry Australia is leading an Australian initiative to expand Australia's carbon credits across all native forest tenures, including State forests, private native forests, forests managed by Traditional Owners, national parks and conservation reserves.
The Forestry Australia 'Enhancing Native Forest Resilience' proposal is a forest-sector-led submission to the Australian Government's Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee EOI process for Australian Carbon Credits Units (ACCU) Scheme methods.
This innovative model is based on a growing body of published work that shows forests that are actively managed can have greater carbon potential.
Under this method, active management means deliberate human care of forests through implementing practices to restore and improve carbon, forest health and resilience outcomes.
Forestry Australia President Michelle Freeman said there were huge untapped opportunities.
"There is a growing body of published work that shows our forests are not only more resilient if they are actively managed, but they can deliver greater carbon abatement benefits," Dr Freeman said.
"Our proposed new Enhancing Native Forest Resilience method is specifically focussed on unlocking the carbon potential across all types of native forests - when they remain forest land.
"This would provide additional revenue streams for our national parks, state forests and private forests, specifically to support more investment in ecologically sustainable forest management, thereby enhancing landscape resilience, biodiversity and social outcomes from our forests.
"It would maximise carbon market opportunities to more land owners, from state government agencies managing state forests and national parks, as well as community groups, not-for-profits, private land owners and First Nations Peoples."
This alternate approach to carbon credits will incentivise investment in the resilience and ecologically sustainable management of Australia's native forests, while also allowing for continuing supply of locally and sustainably sourced timber and wood products – unlocking greater opportunities for Australia to meet its Paris Targets.
"Our approach is more nuanced than approaches that entertain only one option for improving forest carbon outcomes," Dr Freeman said. "This method recognises that the problem and solution requires a more holistic approach, it's based on considering and providing options for applying a broader range of different forest management tools in the toolkit.
"If we extend the potential options for earning carbon credits, we not only generate extra eligible carbon abatement opportunities for Australia, but we also enhance the resilience and ecological values of the Australian forest landscape while continuing to supply local high quality wood products from areas where that is appropriate, it's a win-win-win.
"Active management can also support sustainable livelihoods for regional communities and open up options for self-determination by land holders and managers to achieve the best possible and holistic outcomes.
The proposed project activities under Enhancing Native Forest method can be grouped into three groups:
• Restorative forestry practices: projects that restore ecological health and carbon through forest restoration and regenerative forestry practices where forests have been degraded by wildfires, pest and diseases, or other significant disturbances.
• Adaptive harvesting practices: projects that reduce carbon emissions and improve carbon storage in forests currently available for timber harvesting, while allowing for a level of ongoing supply of wood products, by altering timber harvesting approaches or resting areas from harvest.
• Improved utilisation of harvested wood products: projects that improve carbon storage in wood products by shifting the production of lower grade logs for short-lived wood products into higher grade logs and long-lived wood products.
Forestry Australia is pleased to have this opportunity to contribute directly to the further development and growth of the ACCU Scheme in Australia, and to present a proposal to the Australian Government that highlights the importance of supporting ecologically sustainable forest management for all native forests, especially in the face of increasing threats from wildfires, invasive pest species and other factors exacerbated by climate change.
