A new report by a former CSIRO Chief Scientist proves once and for all that sustainable native forestry is key for Australia to meet its climate change obligations, writes Nick Steel.
Whenever Tasmania’s sustainable forest industry is discussed, one of the biggest challenges for our industry is countering the bad science, incorrect assumptions and misleading accusations made by those who want to shut down our sustainable businesses.
That’s why it was pleasing to read the recently published paper by Dr John Raison, a former CSIRO Chief Research Scientist with extensive experience in carbon accounting in forests. When Dr Raison, who has 40 years’ experience studying the ecology and management of Australia’s native forests, talks you can be sure he knows what he is saying.
In his paper, A review of the impacts of sustainable harvesting, non-harvest management and wildfire on net carbon emissions from Australian native forests, Dr Raison examined many of the claims surrounding forestry and our forest’s ability to capture carbon made by the usual bad actors and scientifically debunks each of them.
In his paper, Dr Raison examines the Tasmanian forest estate which, as we know, has more than 50 per cent of the total estate locked up in parks and reserves, and discovers the astonishing ability our production forests have to capture carbon now and into the future.
Dr Raison’s research reveals that each cubic metre of harvested wood contains approximately one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is then locked up either in production of wood products or in landfall after the products are used.
Publicly available data shows that in 2022-23, 935,000 cubic metres of log was produced from the State’s native forests, capturing almost a million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. According to the figures in the paper, the total carbon in the felled trees in public forests that produced about 735,000 m3 of logs annually is estimated to be 1.05 Mt of carbon dioxide equivalent stored in timber, which is then used to build our homes, create our furniture or help us transport the goods we use every day.
Dr Raison also correctly states that “wood is also used in construction to substitute for high emission alternative materials (steel, concrete and aluminium) and for creating wood products that might otherwise be sourced from overseas where production emissions are much higher than in Australia.”
The reality is that sustainably harvesting production forests in Tasmania are a much better option for the environment than the use of concrete, steel, aluminium or petrochemicals.
In another blow to the usual complainers, Dr Raison’s review shows that: approximately 70 per cent of felled biomass is removed off-site in harvested logs (which is considerably more than the 40 per cent claimed by anti-logging advocates); while the remaining 30 per cent is left in the forest to be either burnt or to decay over time.
“When all the factors above are properly assessed in a lifecycle analysis is has been shown that sustainable harvesting does not cause net carbon emissions and that harvesting leads to greater mitigation of carbon emissions than an alternative no-harvesting forest management option,” Dr Raison said.
Dr Raison also points out that data used by many different papers on Tasmanian forestry is notoriously difficult to quantify. As he says: “..The effects of timber harvesting on carbon emissions is complicated by the diversity of forest types involved, the different timber harvesting systems used, and the relic effects of past logging and wildfire. Despite the claims of anti-logging advocates, clear-felling and burning is used only in certain forest types, and selective harvesting is now the most common harvesting system employed.”
Forestry in Tasmania has changed dramatically over the past two decades. Unfortunately, the metrics used by those wishing to disparage our industry are often ridiculously out-of-date.
He also points out that: “The sustainable management of Tasmania’s native forests is underpinned by a world-class forest practices system that includes a legislated Forest Practices Code and an independent Forest Practices Authority that monitors compliance with that Code.”
Dr Raison is an independent forest expert, whose paper is not tainted by personal opinions of our sustainable forestry businesses. As he says: “The Tasmanian public deserves better than to be repeatedly deceived by false claims that native forest timber harvesting is a major source of carbon emissions.”
Nick Steel is the CEO of the Tasmanian Forest Products Association