On certified forest products and organizations (there are a number around the globe):
This is a list of the top 5 woodbuyers, and it includes Home Depot, Lowes and IKEA, all participants in the FSC [Forest Stewardship Council] initiative/accreditation. http://www.rainforests.net/top5woodbuyers.htm For do-it-yerselfers: http://www.newdream.org/consumer/wood.php ...One online source for sustainable wood products is the Environmental Home Center. If eco furniture is your aim, The Green Guide recently published a product report on wood furniture that includes a long list of sources for FSC certified wood furniture, as well as alternatives such as bamboo and recycled/reclaimed wood... About sustainable forest use, with multiple links and articles: http://caudillweb.com/triplestandards/en/Topic20.aspx ...600 million people in the developing world depend upon forests for their livelihoods. Forest products is an immensely important sector of the global economy, accounting for an estimated 1% of world GDP and 3% of international merchandise trade. According to the UN FAO, the annual turnover of roundwood, sawnwood, panels, pulp and paper exceeds US$200 billion and demand is growing. [1] Global paper consumption alone has more than tripled over the past 30 years. [2] The forest products trade is intimately tied to the biggest environmental challenges facing the world. Illegal logging and deforestation can degrade valuable ecosystems, uproot native communities, put further pressure on endangered species, and fuel conflict and corruption. Forests provide essential environmental services such as watershed protection, biodiversity protections, and carbon sequestration. Non-governmental organizations have been crucial in raising public awareness around these issues over the last decade. Consequently, purchasers of forest products have sought assurances that the wood theyre buying comes from sustainably managed forests. One response has been the creation of third party certification systems for forest operations. With forest certification, an independent organization develops a standard of good forest management, and independent auditors issue certificates to forest operations that comply with those standards. This rise of certification led to the emergence of several different systems throughout the world. As a result, there is no single accepted forest management standard worldwide, and each system takes a somewhat different approach in defining standards for sustainable forest management. [3] Debbi Onto The Next Maru ____________________________________________________________________________________Sick sense of humor? Visit Yahoo! TV's Comedy with an Edge to see what's on, when. http://tv.yahoo.com/collections/222 _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
