Only 6% of Australia’s 160 million hectares of native forests are available

to be harvested, of this 6% less than half can be cut as old growth,

habitat, and riparian zone and steep slope trees are quarantined. The

other 94% are locked up in parks and reserves.

No native forests in NSW are clear felled, only plantations can be legally

clear felled.

All Harvesting in NSW is done under licence from the NSW Environmental

Protection Authority (called a Property Vegetation Plan) and contain

audited strict licence conditions such as;

• only new growth mature trees harvested

• no habitat, old growth, steep slope or riparian zone trees are

allowed to be harvested

• 14 to 16 sq meters of basal area per hectare must be retained after

harvesting, this depends on the type of forest

• Species specific thinning is not allowed

Because forests are only thinned, no replanting is required as natural

regrowth takes over.

Sustainable Harvesting

When trees reach maturity, at approximately 40 years old, the rate of

carbon sequestration slows significantly. This can vary depending on

such things as species, soil conditions, climate and water.

If a forest is locked up then new trees cannot grow as there is no light or

space for seedling or younger trees to grow. Hence a unharvested mature

forest stops sequesting carbon, it in fact releases/generates carbon from

rotting foliage/plant matter on the forest floor.

Sustainability is harvesting new growth mature trees (40 year old trees)

from a forest that have stopped sequesting carbon, and allow new and

younger trees to grow that sequest more carbon. Using the timber as a

building material ensures sustainability as the carbon is locked up for the

life of the material and beyond.

Many iconic forests from all over the world are sustainably harvested.

The Black Forest in Germany for instance is currently and has been

sustainably harvested for centuries.

Carbon in Weathertex and Timber Facts

• 50% of the weight of timber is carbon.

• 1 cubic meter of hardwood (Weathertex) weighing 950kgs and

contains 475kg of carbon. This equates to 1.74 tonnes of CO2 ie 1 tonne

carbon = 3.67 tonnes CO2

The following table details the net CO2 released or stored in different building

materials.

Harvesting Australia’s Native Forests Facts

Material

Weathertex

Sawn softwood timber

Steel

Concrete

Aluminium

Net Carbon Dioxide Released (kg/m3)CO2 Released During Manufacture,

minus CO2 Stored in Product

-34

-775

17 500

400

72 300

Weathertex generates CO2 during its manufacturing process however

more CO2 is stored in the timber than is generated hence Weathertex has

a better than zero carbon footprint. This was confirmed by an independent

Government approved auditor during an audit of Weathertex for the

Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. Timber (and mud bricks) are the

only building materials that can sequest Carbon.

More information is available the Weathertex Web site and specifically the

CPD point presentation “Timber and the Low Carbon Economy”

http://www.weathertex.com.au/about-us/earn-cpd-points/

Australia since first settlement

There is significantly more native forests in Australia than 200 years ago

when Australia was first settled. Aborigines would maintain native forests

by fire to create a parkland style landscape and thinned forests to aid

hunting. This is confirmed by many Botanists journals of the time.

Apart from the resultant massive increase in forest cover, the most damage

to the Australian landscape has been done by the introduction of cattle

and horses. Prior to fist settlement 200 years ago there were no heavy

animals, hence the soil was not compacted and free draining. This

maximised soil rainwater retention and minimised runoff. The introduction

of cattle and horses has over 200 years compacted soil hence significantly

reducing water infiltration, and increasing run off causing aridity and erosion.

“The Biggest Estate on Earth” by Bill Gammage, published by Allen Unwin

and won many awards makes for very interesting reading on this subject.