The Science of Carbon and Tasmania’s State Forest

Forestry Tasmania develops and applies scientific knowledge to forest management, a fundamental part of being responsible to the Tasmanian public.

“The public deserves responsible forest management. They also deserve facts about State forests, based on science, not opinion,” said Dr Hans Drielsma, Executive General Manager of Forestry Tasmania.

“Each year, Tasmania’s forests are absorbing 24% of the entire state’s carbon emissions (based on emissions reported by the Australian Greenhouse Office in 2005). That’s the amount of carbon released by over 585,000 cars.

“Unfortunately, anti-forestry organisations regularly put out statements with little or no knowledge of forest science, and do so because they depend on a climate of crisis and fear to convince the public that they are the defenders of the forest. The facts often get in the way.

“This study was posted on FT’s web site on December 7. On 4 December, Tim Morris, MHA issued a media release accusing Forestry Tasmania of not acknowledging carbon losses from woodchips and burning. Having not had the opportunity of reading the study, he wouldn’t have known that FT does account for both of these things.

Mr Morris went on to accuse FT of “spinning untruths” in regard to carbon storage in Tasmania’s public native forests during Government Business Enterprise (GBE) committee hearings. What is true is that the subject of carbon storage was not raised in questioning at any point during the GBE hearings.

On December 6, Nick McKim, MHA released a statement in reference to this study that showed that he either hadn’t read the report or didn’t understand it.

“Mr McKim is simply wrong to suggest that the Forestry and Land Use Change sector is Tasmania’s biggest GHG emitter. According to Australia’s National Greenhouse Accounts (2005), the energy sector is the largest emitter, and when one looks at just the forestry component of Forestry and Land Use figures forestry is carbon positive.

“The MBAC study, done for Forestry Tasmania, calculates carbon stored in the forest. It includes the total biomass, soil and subsoil carbon stocks, wood-based products from Tasmania’s forests in use and in landfills, FT’s wood production strategy, and the energy used in harvesting and in administrative offices, not just ‘merchantable timber’ as Mr McKim suggests.

“The study looks at how FT’s forest management relates to carbon from now and into the future. There is no evidence to suggest there was a problem in the past, as Mr McKim suggests. If anything the study shows we were on the right track and are still on the right track.

“The study, titled Forestry Tasmania’s Carbon Sequestration Position, was conducted by MBAC Consulting Pty and estimates that between now and 2050, Tasmania’s state forest will absorb 31 million tonnes more atmospheric carbon than it will release, making Tasmania’s state forests a net sink of carbon.

“That’s an average of 720,000 tonnes per year for the next 43 years,”- said Dr Drielsma.

“Harvested native forests are regrown and the young vibrant growing forests remove carbon from the atmosphere at a greater rate than mature forests. That is a fact.

Dr Drielsma said the study supported other research which showed sustainable, well-managed forestry was part of the climate change solution.

Dr Drielsma will be available to the media at 2:45 – 3: 15 pm TODAY to discuss the report and carbon stocks in Tasmania’s State forests.

7 December, 2007
ENDS

Media Inquiries:
David Tuck,
Forestry Tasmania
Corporate Relations
6233 8249