Australia's world leading sustainable forestry practices and an expanded innovation agenda will only become more important locally and globally as a new United Nations (UN) report highlights the need for innovative solutions on the world forest front, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA), Diana Hallam said today.
The State of the World's Forests 2024: Forest-sector innovations towards a more sustainable future (SOFO 2024) was launched at the 27th Committee on Forestry (COFO) at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO's) headquarters in Rome this week - emphasising the role of innovation to achieve a sustainable future for global forestry.
Diana Hallam said, "We can be proud in Australia that we are already a world leader in production forest management and downstream innovation. Our plantations and native forests are managed to the highest environmental standards. We are a model for global best practice, and we are moving strides ahead on the technological innovation front across the forestry supply chain, especially through the inception of Australian Forest and Wood Innovations (AFWI)."
The SOFO 2024 report states that 'although global deforestation is slowing, forests are under pressure from climate-related stressors and forest products demand is rising.' Global wood production is at record levels at 4 billion cubic metres per year with roundwood demand projected to increase up to nearly 50 per cent by 2050. It also states that 'innovation is required to scale up forest conservation, restoration and sustainable use as solutions to global challenges.'
"These pressures on global forests highlight the need for more sustainable forestry and more innovation. In Australia we are a global leader on sustainability, and we innovate right across the supply chain, from the best environmental forest management and harvest practices, like replanting and regeneration, to advanced thinning, including using Indigenous practices. In the manufacturing stages we are rapidly innovating through the development of mass engineered timber products and increasing recycling of fibre," Diana Hallam said.
In order to manage required innovation the SOFO report also states the need to 'boost skills, capabilities and knowledge to ensure that forest-sector stakeholders have the capacity to manage innovation, creation and adoption.'
"This emphasises the need for quality forestry education and underpins the value of our vocational and tertiary forestry skills providers in Australia," Diana Hallam said.
"SOFO also highlights that Australia is second globally for net gain in forest area between 2010 and 2020 adding an additional 4.4 million hectares, second only to China in area increased. In a world where deforestation continues to be a problem, this is a significant achievement.
"Australia can help lead much of the rest of the world on forestry best practice and innovation. AFPA will continue working with the Government to cement our higher quality outcomes for the environment and industry, for the national and global population we serve," Diana Hallam concluded.
