Planet Ark’s Make It Wood campaign is delighted to see that, after a period of public exhibition, Baw Baw Shire in Victoria has become the eighteenth council (in addition to two states – Tasmania and WA – and two Local Government Authorities) to adopt a Wood Encouragement Policy in Australia.
“Timber is the only major building material that helps tackle climate change,” said Make It Wood campaign manager David Rowlinson. “It’s renewable – the ultimate renewable, it stores carbon for the life of the building and it has much lower embodied carbon than conventional, more carbon-intensive building materials like concrete and steel.”
The policy encourages the use of responsibly sourced wood as Baw Baw Shire council’s preferred material for the construction and fit-out of council buildings and infrastructure, where it is appropriate to do so.
Mayor Danny Goss said; “As a Council, we recognise the importance of timber manufacturing and forestry product industries to our local community and the wider Gippsland region. It’s vital to our local economy and provides significant local employment.”
Councillor Michael Leaney, who lives in a remote bushland area of the shire where the timber industry is an integral part of the local economy and social fabric, said the policy was a great outcome for the shire and the region because it sent a strong signal of how important the timber industry is. “While we cannot control external pressures and policy, we can support the local timber industry by encouraging the use of sustainable, locally sourced products in Council projects,” he said.
“We want to lead by example and are committed to continue working with our business community, timber industry and government to ensure sustainable economic development and employment in Baw Baw Shire.” However, he also pointed out that the policy did not mean that everything would be built out of timber.