RESPONSIBLE FORESTRY PART OF PLASTIC POLLUTION SOLUTION
Updated: Jun 10
Annual Earth Day took place on 22 April 2024, with Forestry South Africa (FSA) explaining that there is a sustainable and renewable alternative to single use plastics.
Farmed trees have the unique potential as the starting block for many materials, and fossil-fuel derived materials can be substituted with wood-based derivatives such as timber, in place of steel and concrete. Paper packaging is finding its way back onto supermarket shelves as brand owners move away from plastic.
While wood holds promise in various industries due to its renewable nature, bio-degradability and versatile properties, the key to a wood-based revolution is its sustainable production.
Throughout South Africa, there are 1.2 million hectares of commercial forestry plantations, more than 85% of which are certified as meeting the stringent environmental and social standards set by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). From these plantations, more than 15 million tonnes of wood and fibre are harvested annually and for every tree removed, another is planted in its place. This wood keeps carbon stored long after harvesting – one cubic metre of Eucalyptus wood removes around 880 kg of CO2 from the air, storing around 240kg of carbon.
South African forestry should be recognised as part of the solution for climate change, plastic pollution and rural unemployment. Wood is a renewable, low-carbon alternative to many of the drivers of climate change, and globally, forestry is considered an integral role player in a green economic recovery.
As a rural industry in South Africa, forestry creates employment in some of the country’s most impoverished communities. Through social initiatives, it delivers education, health care, infrastructure and hunger eradication programmes.
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