Well-managed forests essential for long-term climate

Forests, when well-managed, are critical to Australia meeting its emissions reduction targets, according to a new evidence review released today by Forestry Australia.

The Forest Carbon Balance Evidence Review brings together the latest science on forest carbon dynamics, demonstrating that sustainable forest management plays a vital role in carbon sequestration, emissions reduction, and climate resilience.

Click HERE to view the Evidence Review

The Review confirms that forests are one of Australia’s most important natural resources for capturing and storing carbon. Actively growing forests absorb carbon at higher rates, while large trees store carbon at forest sites. Yet forest carbon is not static. As forests age, carbon stocks can decline through natural mortality and disturbance events, particularly bushfires.

It also highlights that accurately estimating forest carbon is complex and requires a full life-cycle analysis. This includes accounting for on-site carbon stocks, emissions from management, transport, and processing, carbon stored in wood products, and the substitution benefits gained when timber replaces more emissions-intensive materials such as steel and concrete.

“Forests are dynamic systems, not permanent carbon vaults,” Dr Michelle Freeman, President of Forestry Australia, said. “How forests are managed over time significantly influences whether they are carbon positive, neutral, or negative.”

Importantly, sustainable use of forest resources delivers additional climate benefits through long-term carbon storage in wood products and by enabling bioeconomies based on renewable biomass. Substituting timber for steel and concrete can reduce embodied carbon by up to 75 per cent.

The Review also underscores the significant role of wildfire in driving Australia’s forest emissions. The 2019–20 bushfires alone accounted for approximately 35 per cent of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions in 2020. Strategic fuel-reduction burning and silvicultural practices, such as thinning, can reduce carbon losses from high-risk wildfires while improving forest resilience to drought and climate change.

While protecting carbon-dense forests is important, the Review found that forest reservation alone does not necessarily deliver greater carbon mitigation outcomes than sustainable active management in many Australian forest types. Increasing risks from climate change, wildfire, and widespread tree mortality mean that unmanaged forests can become a significant source of carbon emissions.

It also highlights the risk of emissions “leakage” if domestic timber production declines, and whilst an increased reliance on imported wood products may improve Australia’s reported emissions on paper, it reveals that “reductions in local timber production may cause significant leakage from Australia to other countries, potentially in the order of 70%.”

• Forestry Australia says the findings reinforce the need for policy settings that:
• Protect forests from deforestation and high-severity wildfire.
• Expand forest cover through new biodiverse plantings and plantation development on cleared land.
• Support active forest management to improve growth, resilience, and fire outcomes.
• Promote the sustainable use of locally sourced wood products.
• Reduce reliance on imports from jurisdictions with higher emissions profiles.

“The evidence is clear,” Dr Freeman said. “Well-managed forests are essential to delivering genuine, long-term climate benefits for Australia.”