Showcasing forest certification in TasmaniaFriday 8 Nov 2024
A party of around thirty spent the morning near Four Springs Lake in the state’s north, visiting a Sustainable Timber Tasmania native forest coupe and a Forico-managed radiata pine plantation. The afternoon continued at Timberlink’s state-of-the-art processing facility in the East Tamar, where the company manufactures engineered wood and mass timber building products. The visit was organised by Responsible Wood and the Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW) at the University of Tasmania. It was held in collaboration with Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT), Timberlink, Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) and the Tasmanian Forest Products Association (TFPA). Sustainability from the ground up The purpose of the visit was to showcase examples of certified sustainable forest management and ethical timber supply chains. It placed a spotlight on Responsible Wood’s certification standards, which ensure responsible forestry practices and sustainable outcomes. ‘Bringing architects, builders and designers into the heart of our industry is essential for fostering sustainable construction practices in Australia,’ said Matt de Jongh, Responsible Wood’s Sustainability Manager. ‘This experience allowed them to see how timber is certified and can be responsibly sourced, giving a deeper appreciation of its environmental and social benefits.’ Sustainable Plantation Products Since its launch in 2014, Forico has emerged as a proud leader in certified forest management and the production of plantation timber certified by both Responsible Wood and the Forest Stewardship Council®. At present, the greater part of the company’s harvested timber is processed into woodchips and exported to customers in Asia, for the manufacture of essential renewable products relied on by consumers worldwide: paper, tissue and cardboard products. However, a percentage of Forico’s timber is sold as roundwood logs for use in the Tasmanian construction industry. The company has sought to diversify in recent years, building in resilience and protecting its future and that of its Tasmanian workforce, said Jim Wilson, General Manager of Enterprise Performance. ‘As growers of globally certified plantation timber, we are keen to explore different markets for our product. Sustainably grown, certified timber will play an essential role in providing the building materials of the future, replacing the carbon-heavy alternatives we’ve relied on to date. Our forests and timber provide the double assurance of being climate friendly in their growth phase and continuing to bank carbon for their lifetime. Wood and the products it is used to manufacture are the ‘ultimate renewable.’ Built-in Integrity Forico’s Sustainability Manager Simon Cook works with Responsible Wood to manage the company’s accreditation processes and says the certification is important in assuring customers of the product’s integrity. ‘Our certification is absolutely central to the integrity of our product and is sought after by our customers,’ he said. ‘We were keen to take part in this event to showcase certified forest management and enable those present to understand the importance of certification in the supply chain. Our hope is that they will seek out certified timber for their projects, advocate more strongly for the production of Australian timber and help drive the development of the domestic supply chain.’ More >> Source: Forico Image credit: FWPA | ||
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