A Forester Who Can See the Wood -- And the Trees
Copyright 2000, The Independent (London)
November 16, 2000
By Jan Mcgirk Latin America Correspondent
TOILING IN a rundown mansion in Oaxaca, southern Mexico, Dr Timothy Synnott and his 15 staff look out from a patio where a century-old shade tree produces windfalls of spiky green mamee, apple-like aromatic fruit.
But they see forests far beyond their single tree. From Cornwall to Cameroon, Dr Synnott's Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) checks on the health of the world's woodland. In the seven years since the FSC was formed, forests and jungles in 34 countries have passed inspection. The area totals 18 million hectares, roughly equivalent to England and Wales combined.
The British forester from Woburn has helped to devise a way to monitor the timber industry that brings together eco-guerrillas and industrialists, native shamans and logging giants.
Until Dr Synnott's brainstorm, consumers weren't in the picture. To press their point, eco-guerrillas would shoplift rare hardwoods from DIY chainstore shelves, declaring it unethical to sell "mahogany ripped from the heart of the Amazon" or "red cedar stolen from tribelands".
Hardliners from the Rainforest Action Network knew such publicity stunts would yield better results than boycotts or tying oneself to a single redwood, and Dr Synnott took note as well: what customers demand, storeowners are quick to supply.
When revenue and future wood supplies are at stake, he reasoned, everyone wants to save the rainforest. His independent office certifies that forest inspectors maintain international standards and he spends one- third of his time travelling the world to make sure. Shoppers in Europe and America can buy wood products labelled by the FSC and be assured their purchase has not been chopped from endangered forests.
Examples of abuse are rampant. Armed thugs hired by logging firms in Esmereldas forest, Ecuador, tied defiant peasants to trees and forced them to eat dirt clods "of the land they claim" while bullets zinged around their feet.
There are 400 FSC members, from World Wild Fund for Nature types who demand woodland safe for creatures, to papermill owners and trade unionists. Despite mutual contempt, they met in Oaxaca this week to discuss the indus-try. James Sullivan, the FSC project director, says: "Sometimes the tension gets very heavy. Many of these people are anathema to each other."
Oaxaca is half a world from Woburn and Uganda, where Oxford-trained Dr Synnott, 57, got his early forest management experience. The colonial city is perfectly placed in a latitude where tropical rainforests end and temperate woodlands begin. "I like the thought of jaguars on the prowl out there," he says.
His FSC has become a dynamic force for reform. To merit its seal of approval, which looks like a checkmark morphing into a leafy tree, manufacturers have to meet strict standards. Logging cannot harm plants or forest creatures, add to erosion, or allow herbicides to pollute rivers, soil or the food chain. Safety measures count as much as environmental impact, but the rights of workers, particularly indigenous groups who share the habitat, are paramount. Respecting spiritual practices is also a must - no chainsaws are allowed in sacred groves.