The Business of Sustainable Forestry
4/7/98
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: The Business of Sustainable Forestry
Source: Eco-Compass
Island Press
The Environmental Publisher
info@islandpress.org
http://www.islandpress.org
Status: Contact source to reprint
Date: 4/7/98
THE BUSINESS OF SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY
Growing evidence indicates that sustainable forest management-which balances
ecosystem needs with those of economies, cultures, and development--is an
increasingly viable business approach. Once considered a niche activity,
sustainable forest management is rapidly emerging as a significant market
opportunity for industrial growers, private landowners, and value-added wood
product manufacturers and distributors.
Composed of forestry experts and industry professionals, the Sustainable
Forestry Working Group has produced a series of case studies illustrating this
trend. The materials document the financial and market opportunities for
transforming traditional forest and mill operations into sustainable
enterprises. In addition, a series of market analyses create a conceptual
framework for sustainable forestry, examine sustainable forestry within an
industry context, assess the demand for sustainable forest products, and review
emerging technologies.
Copies of the case studies will be available from Island Press beginning April
22nd. You can place advance orders through Eco-Compass at
http://www.islandpress.org.
Case study examples include:
COLLINS PINE: LESSONS FROM A PIONEER
With revenues of $95 million in 1996, Collins Pine Company has a long history
in sustainable forest management. The Collins Pine management system emphasizes
selective cutting, a practice that creates stands of uneven-aged trees similar
to those found in some natural forests. In 1993, Collins Pine became one of the
first companies in the world to have an independent organization certify that
some of its timberlands are well managed. Collins Pine has confronted a variety
of challenges in its pioneering efforts to practice sustainable forestry and to
market certified wood markets. Although the company has had difficulty finding
premium-paying markets for its certified products, certification has enabled
Collins Pine to gain access to some new markets and to improve its business
practices.
J SAINSBURY PLC AND THE HOME DEPOT: RETAILERS' IMPACT ON SUSTAINABILITY
Whether the forest products industry widely adopts sustainable forestry
practices depends on their long-term economic viability. The development of
broad demand and markets for sustainably produced wood products will be a key
component of that economic viability. The efforts of retailers J Sainsbury plc
in the UK and The Home Depot in the US to stock their shelves with products
drawn from well-managed forests place them at the forefront of this global
issue. The initial programs of these two retailers and that of the 1995-Plus
Group, a group of major wood products buyers in the UK, indicate that retailers
and large wood products buyers will be instrumental in cultivating consumer
awareness of certified products, as well as pulling suppliers toward
certification and sustainable forest practices. A comparison of the activities
of the two companies, which operate in different competitive, cultural, and
political environments, identifies a variety of salient issues that will
influence whether or not their initial efforts to market certified products are
successful.
THE BRENT TRACT: A PERPETUAL FOREST OF DOUGLAS FIR
The Brent Tract, 171 acres of farm and forestland located in Oregon's
Willamette Valley, is covered with 40- to 80-year-old-stands of high quality
Douglas fir. The owners, a brother and sister, Matthew Brent and Virginia
Picht, value the land not only for the timber income it provides, but also for
its scenic beauty, and the ecological and recreational services it provides.
Maintaining the health of the forest is the owners' primary objective. That is
why they favor selective thinning and natural regeneration of the forest over
the clearcutting, industrial-style techniques typically practiced on
neighboring properties. Today the Brent tract is one of few examples of uneven-
aged management of Douglas fir in western Oregon. The management techniques
used on this property offer a practical alternative to clearcutting for the
Douglas fir region and make it a good site for further study, demonstration,
and refinements of selective thinning.
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The efforts of the Sustainable Forestry Working Group have been made possible
with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Copies of
the sustainable forestry case studies will be available from Island
Pressbeginning April 22nd. You can visit Eco-Compass for an enhanced version of
this feature, including executive summaries of each case, advance ordering
information, links to the best Websites on sustainable forestry, and more.