The Australian Forest Products Association welcomes the findings of a report by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES), Preliminary long term forecast of wood products demand in Australia, which indicates encouraging growth in wood and paper products.
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics has forecast that by 2050, Australia’s consumption of wood products will increase by 50 per cent. The Australian Forest Products Association AFPA Chief Executive Officer Ross Hampton said; “This projected growth is consistent with expected growth in overseas economies as people look to wood and paper products for their housing, construction and daily consumer needs. These products also contribute to improving our environment through their renewability, recyclability and low carbon footprint. In addition, the forecast for paper and paperboard consumption sees a steady increase from 4 million tones in 2010 to 7.1 million tones per year over the next 40 years. Australian industry stands ready to accept the challenge of filling the gap between current production and meeting the growing demand for sawn wood, but that will require policy makers to encourage plantation and processing investment and recognize the low carbon footprint of wood compared with many other building materials.” With this explanation, Ross Hampton, the CEO of the Australian Forest Products Association, explained how the industry welcomes the demand but, more “wood friendly” policies should be adopted by government.
In 2011, The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) was formed through the merger of the Australian Plantations Products and Paper Industry Council (A3P) and the National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI). Today AFPA represents forest growers, harvesters, and manufacturers of timber and paper products.
