National Association of Forestry
Industries
REDD Seminar
ANU, 18 June 2008
David de Jongh
Presentation Outline

Australia’s system of sustainable forest management

The carbon profile of Australia’s forest industry

Positioning the industry for an ETS

Working with neighbouring countries on SFM and carbon
abatement from forestry
SFM Framework in Australia

National Forest Policy Statement (1992)

Regional Forest Agreements

Plantations 2020 Vision

State regulations, codes of practice etc

Forest certification
Forest Certification in Australia
Two forest certification schemes in operation

Australian Forestry Standard (AFS) - 8.67 million ha

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – 533,000ha
Forest Certification in Australia
Ref (BRS 2008)
Australian Forestry Standard (AFS)



AFS is designed to suit Australian conditions and forest
management frameworks
AFS based on internationally recognised frameworks – ISO
14000 and Montreal C&I
Developed through 3 year process by government, industry
and environmental scientists

Registered Australian Standard

Internationally recognised through PEFC
Carbon Profile of Australia’s forests



SFM is critical for maximising carbon abatement from
forestry
Australia’s commercial forests are carbon positive providing
significant carbon abatement towards national Kyoto
targets
Commercial forests (native forests and plantations) provide
44 million tonnes CO2 offsets towards Australia’s carbon
accounts each year
Carbon Profile of Australia’s forests

Reduced land clearing and new plantations have been the
main reason Australia is on track to meet its Kyoto targets

Carbon emissions from land clearing declined from 70
million tonnes in 2002 to 53 million tonnes in 2005

Land clearing in Australia has occurred mainly for
agriculture purposes but also urban development

‘Kyoto’ Plantations provide 20 million tonnes CO2 offsets
each year
Commercial Native Forests



Australia’s commercial native forests offset 5.5% of national
GHG emissions pa
Commercial native forests provide 23 million tonnes CO2
offsets each year
Wood production occurs within a permanent native forest
estate meaning Australia is growing its native forest
resources
Change in resource base for commercial native forests
Ref (BRS 2008)
Plantations

Australia is rapidly expanding its plantation estate –
currently have 1.82 million ha

Recent investment mostly through the private sector

Currently expanding at around 75,000 hectares per year

Delivering 20 million tonnes CO2 offsets each year

On track to meet the 2020 Vision Target of 3 million
hectares of plantations by 2020 – could provide 50 million
tonnes CO2 offsets pa by 2020
Australia’s plantation expansion
Ref (BRS 2008)
Carbon benefits of wood products
14
Co ncrete
slab
12
Steel sub-frame
Tonnes CO2
10
8
B rick
Ceramic
tiles
6
Steel
4
Steel
2
A luminium
Timber
Timber
Timber
Timber
Timber
0
Flo o r
structure
Flo o r
co vering
Wall
1 frame
Ro o f frame
Windo ws
Construction component
Ref (FWPRDC 2006)


Carbon storage in wood products accounts for 5 million tonnes of
CO2 offsets each year (DCC). Recognition in ETS is priority.
An average Australian home built mostly from wood products
saves around 25 tonnes of CO2 in the materials production
process (CRC for Greenhouse Accounting)
Carbon benefits of production forests and carbon
storage in wood products
Tonnes C / ha
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
Years
Unharvested forest
Harvested forest - no storage in w ood products
Wood products included
Ref (FWPRDC 2006)
Wood Waste for Bioenergy




Bioenergy from wood waste reduces CO2 emissions by 9599% for each MWh of electricity generated when compared
to coal-fired electricity
The use of currently available wood waste for bioenergy
production in Australia has the potential to:
reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 3 million
tonnes of CO2e each year; and
supply renewable electricity to at least 400,000 houses (Ref
www.nafi.com.au/bioenergy)
Forest industry carbon abatement by 2020
Activity
Est. CO2e offset/yr
(million tonnes)
Plantations
50
Native forests
23
Carbon in harvested wood products
5
Wood waste for renewable energy
3
Total
81
Forest Industry carbon abatement by 2020
90
80
Actual
Projected
70
50
40
30
20
10
Native Forests
Plantations
Wood Products
Bioenergy
20
20
20
18
20
16
20
14
20
12
20
10
20
08
20
06
20
04
20
02
20
00
19
98
19
96
19
94
19
92
0
19
90
Mt CO2e/yr
60
Total
Ref (NAFI 2008)
Australia’s GHG Emissions by Sector (2005)
Ref (BRS 2008)
National contribution to emissions
reductions
900
800
Total
abatement
task
700
Mt CO2e
600
500
400
Forestry's
contribution
300
200
100
0
1990
Business As Usual
2010
2020
Target 2020 - 20% below 1990 level
Emissions abatement task with all forestry measures included
Ref (NAFI 2008)
ETS design and recognition of forestry’s
contribution



Recognition of the carbon positive nature of Australia’s
forest industry will be critical in an ETS
Encourage greater investment and maintain
competitiveness
Need to keep growing forest resources and using climate
friendly wood products
Inclusion of forestry under an ETS



Comprehensive inclusion is sought by Australia’s forest
industry – in line with Government objective of maximal
coverage
Not necessarily linked to agriculture – different accounting
issues
Critical to facilitate industry’s carbon full abatement
potential
Inclusion of forestry under an ETS
Australia’s National Carbon Accounting System
(NCAS)




NCAS tracks carbon emissions and sinks from land based
systems (forestry & ag)
Australian Government working with international
organisations and overseas governments to implement
NCAS
Objective is to allow carbon accounting of forests in these
countries and prepare them for possible inclusion in an
international ETS
Australian Government has world leading position in
relation to carbon accounting for forestry
Working with neighbouring countries



SFM is critical – delivers social, economic and
environmental outcomes
Forest certification is extremely valuable tool – particularly
in developing countries
NCAS important for carbon monitoring and compliance
Thank You
For more information visit www.nafi.com.au