Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Eggleston for his question and note his keen interest in this matter, especially in his role as the distinguished chair of the Senate’s environment committee. There has unfortunately but not unpredictably been a lot of misinformation floating around about the role our forest industry is playing in reducing CO. Forestry is part of the solution to climate change, not part of the problem. The simple fact is that Australian plantation and native forests are carbon sinks, absorbing 44 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. Our expanding plantation area—some 700,000 hectares in the past years—is increasing the rate of carbon dioxide stored by almost 20 million tonnes per year. That is equivalent to four per cent of current emissions.

But let us start with the basics. In drawing carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and returning oxygen, trees are nature’s air cleaners whilst also supplying legitimate human needs, such as building materials, furniture and paper. Some are claiming that by harvesting trees you are increasing CO emissions. This is just plain wrong. You see, once you start—