“Under the bark of trees are powerful solutions”

Victorian Forest Products Association (VFPA), Media Release, 21 March 2024

This year’s International Day of Forests celebrates the role of trees in providing powerful solutions for a better world. From cutting-edge drone and satellite technology for forest monitoring to sustainable substitutes derived from trees for plastics, building materials and fabrics, innovation can help us.

“Our plantations are carbon sinks and the wood products we produce are also a source of carbon sink for their lifetime that also provide the fibre that is integral to our society – from our homes to providing the cardboard and pallets underpinning Australia’s logistics and supply chains,” said Ms Deb Kerr, CEO of the Victorian Forest Products Association (VFPA).

“Today a new evolution of innovation and technology is leading to a range of renewable solutions and a range of new applications for wood fibre as the solutions to today’s challenges to decarbonise.”

Ms Kerr said, “Wood is being used to make satellites and wood turbines, wood fibre is being 3D printed into new homes and to make bioplastics that are replacing plastic packaging, and used for defence purposes such as Melbourne based SYPAQ Systems’ cardboard Corvo drones.”

“Wood cellulose is being revolutionised into glass-like transparent wood that has applications such as for mobile phones, light fixtures to colour changing windows – it is stronger, and a better insulator, than glass.”

“While traditional wood fibre uses will always be the cornerstone of our industry, we are also on the cusp of a new revolution in wood fibre replacing non-renewables,” concluded Ms Kerr.