Timber - the pre-eminent building material

Timber, the pre-eminent building material for the next 100 years

Values of well-managed forests bring a whole range of benefits to the community - the environment, carbon storage and regional development.
Furthermore timber products are likely to be the building material of the 21st Century and beyond because of the attributes they bring in a carbon constrained economy.
A recently released Canadian report talks of demand for timber products quadrupling over the next 5 years. Global demand for forest products is expected to increase substantially with projected increases in the world’s population, continued economic growth and growth in demand from emerging economies such as China and India. In India and China alone 280 million new housing starts are projected over next 10 years.

A discussion paper recently released by Parliamentary Secretary, Senator Richard Colbeck, by the Forest Industry Advisory Council also notes that domestic demand for forest products is expected to grow in line with an increasing population in Australia. Australia has around 23.7 million people and this is projected to increase to around 34 million by 2040 (ABS 2013b). If consumption per capita of forest products in Australia was to remain at 2012 levels, Australian demand for these products would increase by around 43 per cent by 2040.

As NSW grows the finest hardwoods in the world and we have wall to wall certification, he North Coast of NSW appears to be very well placed to service some of this demand. And, unlike mining, this timber resource is renewable.

A copy of the Discussion paper can be found by following the link Issues paper Submissions are invited