The Australian government’s Net Zero Plan sets an ambitious pathway to cut emissions. As Climateworks Centre notes, “There is no path to net zero without nature,” but timber-only solutions overlook faster options. A 2025 report by academic group Net Zero Australia calculated 200,000 hectares of new forest would be needed yearly to reach net zero by 2050. In a nation racing to build 1.2 million homes over five years, it’s absurd to model net zero on timber-centric solutions. Welcoming fast-growing partners like bamboo, hemp, and perennial grasses, while working closely with Indigenous communities, delivers the most effective path to net zero, today.