Managing our sustainable and renewable resource through the Queensland Future Timber Plan 2050

As a renewable and naturally grown resource, timber has the unique ability to extract carbon from the atmosphere and store it throughout the lifespan of timber products.

By carefully harvesting and sustainably managing our forests, the forestry and timber industry can help to reduce the Queensland's carbon emissions by:

• capturing and storing carbon in long-life timber and wood products
• sequestering carbon by replanting and expanding our plantation estates and sustainably harvesting our native forests to produce long-life timber products
• substituting higher-emissions building materials, such as concrete, metal and aluminium, with wood products
• displacing fossil fuel emissions through the use of sawmill residues as an energy source.

The use of sustainably grown timber has gained global recognition as a crucial component of the world's efforts to address climate variability and promote carbon sequestration.

In comparison to alternatives such as concrete, steel and aluminium, timber products have significantly lower embodied energy, meaning that their production requires less energy and generates fewer carbon emissions.

Selective harvesting

Selective harvesting is the only harvesting method used in Queensland's state-owned native forests for timber production. This ensures that only high-value timber is harvested, while habitat and other important values are preserved.

Selective harvesting within state-owned native forests means that only trees which are suitable for commercial use are harvested. Trained staff carefully choose trees for harvesting and ensure more than half of the trees are retained during each harvest operation, including trees that provide habitat or potential habitat for native animals.

Selective harvesting is significantly different from the technique known as coupe clear-felling practiced elsewhere, where all trees in a designated area are removed.

Areas selectively harvested remain as forests, continuing to grow and capture carbon. When gaps in the forest are created, sunlight and soil nutrients become available, enabling new trees to grow and regenerate. This regeneration minimises disturbances to the surrounding forest, maintains linkages within the forest, and ensures the long-term sustainability of our native forests.