Forests are both a resource for recreation and profit and finally, the world is beginning to wakeup to the fact that one isn’t mutually exclusive to the other.
What is a sustainable forest?
A sustainable forest is one that is capable of maintaining itself without degeneration of the soil and biodiversity. Humans have done this for hundreds of thousands of years but in recent times, with trees being seen more for their economic value then their spiritual or ecological one… we seem to have collectively forgotten this at our own peril.
What is Sustainable Forestry Management?
The days of clear cutting large swaths of land followed by burning are, luckily for both our planet and our very own survival, slowly going away. Replaced is a more selective approach towards managing our most precious of resources, our forests! Sustainable Forestry Management involves a number of approaches towards getting maximum profit with minimal impact to the forest biomes around the world. This is done by selectively logging and intensive replanting initiatives to leaving ecologically sensitive areas alone while doing ongoing forestry research.
Why do we all benefit from sustainable forestry practices?
First, the very oxygen we breath is dependent on the health of our forests, they are an enormous carbon sink that suck up carbon dioxide while releasing oxygen. They are also a vast genetic bank that is of importance not only to all species on this planet but for pharmaceutical companies as well. If you go far back enough through evolution, you will soon discover that trees and humans share the SAME beginning, we all come from bacteria! Aside from that, sustainable forests mean jobs for local economies that can be spread over generations as old growth gets cut and replanted with new growth.
What else can we do to save our forests?
Recycling is a great way to help our forests, reading your news online instead of purchasing newspapers, not wasting wood when building projects seen on WoodMarvels.com and donating money towards helping advance sustainable activities in forests around the world is a great start. Remember the Amazon rain forest? Well, the way that is being cut down, it may become just a memory.
The Bottom Line
Forests are essential arcs of biodiversity which should be managed or left alone.
Opinion: Monopolies Are Not Good for the Environment
Availability of Sustainable Wood Products Hampered by Certification from Forest Stewardship Council
Exclusivity Drives Up Prices and Steers Builders to turn to Petroleum Products and Other Non-renewable Resources.
FSC Exclusivity Could ‘LEED’ to Other Environmental Problems
Long before people in the “new world” began to understand the risks of dwindling timber supplies, European countries saw first-hand the potential danger of over harvesting.
From Germany’s proactive, 18th-century commitment to renewable forestry, to England’s reforestation efforts in the wake of the Industrial Revolution, many countries learned these lessons well.
In this tradition, The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC) was founded in 1999. Stemming from the rich, long-time traditions of sustainable forestry in Europe, PEFC has grown to impressive, global proportions. Today, the Sustainable Forest Management criteria it uses are supported by 149 governments worldwide, covering 85% of the world’s forest area.
PEFC respects and integrates each country’s forestry practices, using a structure that works in tandem with local governments, stakeholders, cultures and traditions. Yet, in some circles, the PEFC and its European roots are inexplicably frowned upon.
For instance, in today’s “green” building movement, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system is the most successful such program in the world. Administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the LEED system is now in use in more that 14,000 construction projects in 30 countries, including all 50 United States.
However, lumber used for LEED construction projects must be certified by just one entity—the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
As the demand for green, renewable resources continues to grow, why does LEED insist on this exclusive arrangement with a single certification scheme?
Both the FSC and the PEFC use independent third-party certification, providing abundant reassurance that the wood originates from sustainably managed forests. They include oversight by all vital stakeholders—member countries, non-governmental organizations, landowners, social groups and others.
Within each group’s framework, the national governing bodies from individual countries and regions develop standards with substantial opportunity for public review. And both provide clear chain-of-custody tracking and labeling that assure end users of legal and environmentally sound harvesting.
One independent industry consultant showed how the PEFC even goes beyond FSC standards when it comes to conformity with a number of ISO certification and accreditation guides.
This FSC-LEED exclusivity is especially baffling when you remember that PEFC certification represents about two thirds of all certified forests globally, which in all account for about a quarter of the global industrial roundwood production.
Additionally, many FSC certified acres are owned by governments or families focused on preservation—they have no intention to harvest for building-material production. And available FSC-certified veneers are often just a fraction of the number of veneers available through the other certification schemes.
It’s clear that accepting PEFC certified wood products would open a tremendous new resource-pool for the green building movement.
Here in North America, leading national forest certification programs, such as the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)—both part of the PEFC—create a central source for certified timber for North America. Combined, CSA and SFI certify more than 328 million acres of sustainable forestland in North America, versus about 69 million total acres certified by the FSC.
Limiting the availability of sustainable wood products drives up prices, prompting more builders to turn to materials derived from petroleum products and other non-renewable resources. Or they turn to concrete and other materials that require significantly more energy to produce, ultimately increasing greenhouse gas emissions and leaving a bigger carbon footprint.
Left unaddressed, all of these issues could lead to further environmental damage, something that I’m sure all of us—LEED and the FSC included—would like to prevent. LEED’s acceptance of PEFC certified lumber would be a significant step in the right direction for greater, worldwide adoption of green building practices.