The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) welcomes the South Australian Government announcement of $2 million towards a National Institute for Forest Products Innovation node in Mount Gambier.
“This investment is recognition that in a carbon constrained global economy in which renewable resources are at a premium, the forest products industry can play a key role in Australia’s innovation agenda,” Mr Hampton said.
“With a $2 million commitment from the Federal Government and additional commitments from industry over time, the Institute has the potential to become the focal point of a strategic network of research ‘nodes’ that reflect industry priorities, and reinforcing the good work being done in other industry-led R&D efforts.”
The major pathways for our industries to contribute to climate change policy and Australia’s innovation agenda include:
- the carbon sequestered in growing forests;
- the carbon stored in harvested wood and paper products;
- the substitution of high emissions materials (e.g. steel, concrete) with wood and other fibre based products that have low embodied energy, including new innovative bioproducts; and
- the use of woody biomass for renewable and baseload energy generation (including for renewable heat and biofuels), thereby displacing fossil fuels.
The National Institute for Forest Products Innovation will have two nodes, one in Mt Gambier and the other in Launceston (Tasmania).
