Town Close to Buying Rainforest Wood
7/09/96
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Topic: Town Close to Buying Rainforest Wood
Written 6:20 AM Jul 9, 1996 by relief in cdp:en.alerts
From: Rainforest Relief
Subject: Town Close to Buying Rainforest Wood
Ocean City, New Jersey Deciding July 9 on Entire Block
of Tropical Rainforest Wood for Latest Boardwalk Repairs
Calls and Faxes Needed to Mayor and Town Council
Much of Ocean City's boardwalk is made from tropical rainforest
wood. In certain sections the under-structure (the pilings, 'runners'
and 'stringers') is made from greenheart from the rainforests of
Guyana, South America. There is now a heavy demand for this wood
because of its natural resistance to marine borer, a common problem
of marine construction.
But we have traded one problem for another -- the destruction of
Guyana's primary rainforests. Due in part to the recent demand
for greenheart, the Guyanan government has slated 40% of the area
of the country (70% of its forests) for logging! Greenheart logging,
like nearly all logging in rainforests, is not done sustainably
except in rare instances. Indigenous people are displaced from their
traditional lands.
Up to 50% of the forest is damaged to extract a few trees. And
perhaps worst of all, an entire network of roads is left behind,
allowing intrusion which can ultimately lead to conversion of the
forests to cropland or pasture.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization,
logged-over rainforests are 8 times more likely to be totally
deforested than unlogged forests. They further estimate that 70%
of all deforestation from shifting cultivation -- the largest cause -
is due to the access provided by logging and mining roads.
The decking for the tropical wood sections of Ocean City's boardwalk
is made from ipe, (pronounced eepay) a group of trees logged from the
rainforests of Brazil. As with greenheart, ipe is not logged
sustainably. The record of logging in Brazil is horrendous. Nearly
all logging in this country is controlled by a few powerful families.
Much of the logging occurs illegally, without the consent of the true
land owners. Due to corruption and confusion between local, state and
federal agencies, loggers are often able to cut and run before the
owners of the land can stop them. (Eighty percent of Brazil's
mahogany export is being logged illegally from indigenous lands and
parks and preserves.)
Ocean City began using rainforest wood in 1989, along with Atlantic
City. After public opposition, A.C. and O.C. both claimed they would
not use this wood again.
Neither town has held to this promise.
After buying a block's worth of rainforest wood for last year's
repairs, Ocean City has now gone out to bid for another block
of new boardwalk. Despite the protests of local residents and
the media controversy, Ocean City has chosen to go forward
with their purchase of rainforest wood for the new repairs. Ocean
City claims it will use only independently certified rainforest
wood, assuring that it has been harvested in a sustainable way.
But there is a loophole in the bid language that will allow for non-
certified wood to be used. And the species Ocean City has requested
is not even available from an independently certified supplier.
Recycled plastic lumber is available and, over the long run, more
economical than even rainforest wood for Ocean City's boardwalk,
but because of engineers' "tried and true" mentality, Ocean City
and other towns are not friendly to the idea of trying a new
material, even if it spares the rainforests and all the wildlife and
humans that depend upon them, creates local jobs, creates markets for
recycled materials and helps alleviate our overflowing landfills.
Call or fax Ocean City TODAY, as time is short. OC may vote on
the bids (none of which are acceptable to environmentalists or
the local townspeople) on Thursday evening, July 9. In a friendly
manner tell them they must reject all bids from suppliers that are
not certified by a Forest-Stewardship-Council-accredited certifier
(none have bid, so this is a formality in this case, but lets them
know to go certified in the future).
Tell them that using recycled plastic lumber saves trees,
rainforests and landfill space and makes sense for Ocean City.
Let them know that the country is watching Ocean City.
Mayor Henry "Bud" Knight and City Council
City of Ocean City
9th Street and Asbury Avenue
Ocean City, NJ 08226
Phone: 609/399-6111
Fax: 609/398-0740