Forestry Australia Proposes Expanding Carbon Credits to Native Forests to Help Meet Targets

Forestry Australia is leading an 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. Forestry Australia is an independent not-for-profit professional association of more than 1,200 forest scientists, managers, and growers who work in native forests, plantations, and provision of environmental services.

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 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.

In a statement, Forestry Australia President Dr. 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. Our proposed new Enhancing Native Forest Resilience method is specifically focused 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 maximize carbon market opportunities to more landowners, from state government agencies managing state forests and national parks, as well as community groups, not-for-profits, private landowners, and First Nations Peoples.”

The alternate approach to carbon credits will incentivize 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.