Linking forest carbon accounting and timber construction: Australia’s readiness in the COP28 decarbonisation context

Sustainably sourced timber is increasingly recognised as a climate-responsive construction material that can substitute emissions-intensive products while storing biogenic carbon in wood building products (WBPs). Following COP28, international initiatives continue to integrate forestry, carbon accounting, and construction policy into national decarbonisation pathways. In Australia, however, the extent to which forest carbon data and accounting frameworks support long-lived carbon storage in buildings remains unclear. This paper reviewed global initiatives and regulatory mechanisms promoting timber in construction, examined Australia’s forest resource base, trade balance, and institutional settings shaping domestic timber availability, and assessed how existing carbon accounting and policy frameworks capture linkages between forest carbon dynamics and wood use in buildings. Synthesised national data indicate that softwood plantations supply nearly all construction-relevant products, while hardwood plantations and native forests play minor roles under current conditions. Based on indicative national statistics for 2021–22, the carbon embodied in domestically produced panels equates to roughly 0.63 Mt C (≈ 2.3 Mt CO₂eq), corresponding to an estimated 3.1–5.6% of total harvested-wood carbon. This indicative range highlights both the measurable yet limited contribution of long-lived WBPs and the need for more detailed, end-use-specific data. Current Australian accounting frameworks quantify forest and product carbon separately, underscoring the need for integrated, time-resolved tracking. These findings clarify measurable boundaries for timber’s role in Australia’s decarbonisation goals and provide a foundation for coherent carbon accounting across the forest–wood–building chain.