“If it weren’t for the commercial planting of trees from the early 1900s, the country’s indigenous forests would have been eliminated many years ago for our fuel, furniture and fibre needs”, asserts Roy Southey, CEO of Sawmilling South Africa.
A forestry landscape is far more complex and diverse than rows of planted monoculture trees. Only 70% of forestry-owned land in South Africa is planted to trees, with a significant unplanted proportion reserved for biodiversity conservation, natural corridors, riverine habitats, indigenous flora and wetlands.
The built environment is responsible for about 40% of global energy-related carbon emissions. Only sustainable forestry and engineered timber have the unique potential to decarbonise the built environment at scale while supporting urban development, rural economies and innovation.
Read the full story here – https://www.woodbizafrica.co.za/january-2024-issue-33/#january-2024-issue-33/4/