Australia Will Need Centuries To Reach Goal Of Planting 1Bln Trees - Senator

Sumaira FH Published August 31, 2021 | 04:53 PM

Australia looks set to miss its goal of planting a billion trees within a decade after taking three years to plant just 1% of that number, Sen. Rex Patrick said on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st August, 2021) Australia looks set to miss its goal of planting a billion trees within a decade after taking three years to plant just 1% of that number, Sen. Rex Patrick said on Tuesday.

"At this rate, forget hitting the 2050 target; it will take 357 years to hit a billion trees," Patrick was quoted by the ABC broadcaster as saying in parliament.

The senator calculated that the Commonwealth would need to speed up tree planting from roughly 2.8 million to an annual 170 million to reach the billion-tree milestone.

Australian pledged to cut greenhouse emissions by 2050. Foresters hope to access more funding by reducing the country's carbon footprint, while securing a steady timber supply to the mills.

The Agriculture Ministry maintained that the goal was still within reach. Minister David Littleproud blamed the slow start on the 2019-2020 bush fires, which destroyed 130,000 hectares of commercial plantations.