Forests Overview & Information

Overview

Forests cover 30 percent of the land area of earth and serve as important “carbon dioxide sinks”, that is, they remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store it as carbon while giving off oxygen. Much of the carbon stored in forests is not only in the wood, but also in the soils where leaves and deadwood have decayed into organic matter. Forests also serve as habitats for ground plants and animals; and the tree and plant roots absorb and store rain water thus preventing soil erosion.

Harvesting trees not only removes the benefits of a major CO2 absorbing source, but also can result in the rapid oxidation and release of the carbon from the soil as CO2. The burning of wood waste also emits CO2 into the atmosphere. To minimize the environmental impact of tree harvesting, various standards and certification practices are being promoted or have been adopted. These can be confusing to those not familiar with forestry management. Forest Certification is a means of communicating to consumers that the wood products they buy have come from environmentally friendly forest harvesting methods. While there are recognized international standards for certification, countries and states have modified these to better fit their needs.

Wikipedia, Sustainable Forest Management

Supporting Views

The Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and the Ecosystem Approach are two forest conservation and management practices that promote environmentally, socially and economically sustainable forests. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is the principle international certification organization preferred by many environmentalists. The FSC promotes stricter environmental practices in the harvesting of forests and the protection of the ecosystems than some of the industry sponsored practices. Issues of particular concern include illegal logging, logging in old growth forests, clear cutting, wildfire policies and controlled burns, and restoration of areas affected by wildfires and disease.

Advocates of SFM standards are sometimes critical of the SFI standards. The Dogwood Alliance, for example, states that “the SFI standards were developed by the industry, for the industry. The SFI lacks independence from logging companies and fundamentally fails to protect environmental and social values”. The American Lands Alliance takes a particular strong stand stating that SFI provides “virtually no protection required for old growth forests, no protection for roadless wildlands, biodiversity hotspots, and many other endangered temperate and boreal forests. Diverse, natural forests are not protected from being replaced by ecologically-barren tree plantations or urban sprawl.”

Supporting Websites
Forest Stewardship Council
Dogwood Alliance
The Nature Conservancy
Greenpeace
Rainforest Action Network
WWF (formerly World Wildlife Fund)
ForestEthics

Opposing Views

Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) are competing programs that promote environmentally responsible forest management and certification but are seen as less stringent by many environmentalists. SFI and PEFC are the preferred forest management practice of many logging companies and some government groups. Their standards on the surface appear to be similar to many of those of the Forest Stewardship Council’s standards, but differ in the interpretation and application. At times SFI advocates can be critical of the “extremist environmental community”. One issue is the “reforestation backlog crisis”…the need to “aggressively replant national forests after they burn”.

Opposing Websites
Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
SFI Standards
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)
American Forest and Paper Association
Forest Resources Association
Boise Cascade
Pacific Lumber Company