The perils of an ignorant economy

In the last 50 years, humans have done more damage to healthy forest ecosystems than in the previous 80 centuries of human activity. Inseparable from the exploitation of resources is the exploitation of forest-dependent communities.

Only one-fifth of the planet’s original forest cover remains healthy and intact, according to the World Resources Institute. Of these still-pristine forests, only two percent have any type of legal protection.

Seventy percent of the remaining frontier forests (large tracts of undisturbed woodlands) are housed in just three countries: Russia, Canada and Brazil. Temperate frontier forests are the most endangered–only three percent of the remaining frontier forests fall in temperate zones. And 76 countries assessed in the report have lost all their frontier forests.

Social problems–forced labor, abuse of indigenous rights, unsafe working conditions and exploitation of community resources–along with ecosystem destruction are associated with illegal and unsustainable timber harvesting across the globe.

In Brazil, where it is estimated that as many as 25,000 people are victims of forced or slave labor practices in the timber and ranching sectors, the government estimates that 80 percent of Amazonian timber is harvested illegally. The Indonesian government estimates that 70 percent of all wood harvested in Indonesia is harvested illegally. And until recently, the brutal dictatorship of Charles Taylor in Liberia was supported by illegal logging and trade in diamonds.

Consumption of wood and paper products in industrialized countries drives this natural and human exploitation. And while there are many other causes of forest destruction, all too often timber harvesting opens lands to other forms of exploitation. Once the timber roads are built, poachers, illegal loggers, and slash and burn agriculture will follow. Even domestic wood trade in countries such as Brazil is subsidized by the exploitation of ipe, mahogany, and other species. Roads and infrastructure are developed to extract the premium species, making it cheaper for lesser species to be extracted for the domestic market.

Of course, many timber companies operate in a socially and environmentally sustainable manner. The difficulty for consumers has been how to distinguish the good from the bad. When buying a piece of plywood, unless there is some legitimate verification of its source, it is impossible to tell if it was harvested illegally in prime orangutan habitat or if it comes from a legal, sustainable, community-run "operation in Borneo."

So how do we as consumers make sure we are not part of the problem of deforestation, but part of the solution? You can start by asking yourself the three following questions before buying wood or wood products.

Buying wood responsibly

1. Do I need to buy this? Reducing consumption is one of the best ways to reduce your impact on forests.

2. Can I use or consume this wood more efficiently? Try to buy wood that has the least amount of waste associated with it; for example, buy used furniture rather than new.

3. Do I know where this wood comes from? Ignorance on the consumer side allows illegal timber to flow into our stream of wood products. No matter what you are buying, ask where the wood comes from, and look for verification that the wood comes from a well-managed forest.

Resources

Here are some websites that can help you be a smart wood consumer:

Resource Conservation Alliance

www.woodconsumption.org

ForestEthics

www.forestethics.org

Co-op America

www.woodwise.org

Rainforest Action Network

www.ran.org

Rainforest Alliance

www.ra.org

TRAFFIC-WWF

www.traffic.org

The Forest Stewardship Council

www.fscus.org

Takoma Park resident Ned Daly is the Vice President of Operations for the Forest Stewardship Council, a nonprofit organization which promotes responsible forestry and certifies sustainably produced wood. He is the former director of Forest Policy for the Consumer's Choice Council, where he led campaigns for procurement of certified wood products.