***********************************************

FOREST CONSERVATION NEWS TODAY

BACKGROUNDER: Serious Concerns Regarding Forest Certification

***********************************************

By Glen Barry, President, Forests.org, Inc. < http://forests.org/ >

July 14, 2001

Many forest conservationists, myself included, have eagerly embraced

forest certification, particularly standards set by the Forest

Stewardship Council (FSC), as a promising tool to protect forests.

However, it is rapidly becoming apparent that certification is no

panacea, and serious flaws in the principles of forest certification

pose real dangers to the World's forests.

FSC received the support of many forest conservationists because it

was believed that placing value upon forests - tropical forests in

particular - would lead to more forest conservation and protection.

It was thought that by empowering local people to pursue small,

community based "eco-forestry" initiatives, certification would

provide an alternative to more destructive land uses. To date, FSC

has not lived up to this ideal. Industry and government are the

owners of some 96% of currently certified forests. Non-industrial or

communal logging operations are only 34% of the total number of

certificates, covering 3% of the certified forest area. It appears

that FSC is supporting expansion of industrial scale logging of the

world's remaining primary forests.

A variety of important additional criticisms are being voiced.

Natural patterns of plant diversity and wildlife are not well

protected in certified commercial logging operations. Increasing

numbers of grassroots environmental organizations are being excluded

from FSC decision-making processes. Dissent is not welcome and is

rarely heard. Overstated rhetoric regarding ecological

sustainability threatens to legitimize increased commercial logging

and ultimately the final demise of the World's remaining large forest

wildlands. The voice of wildland and old-growth protection is not

being heard.

Failure to respond to these criticisms will lead to widespread

withdrawal of support for certified forestry from forest

conservationists and their grassroots organizations, and resumption

and intensification of campaigns to boycott all tropical and old-

growth timbers.

Recently both "Conservation Biology" (April 2001) and "The Ecologist"

have featured scientifically rigorous examination of certified

forestry. In particular the article in "The Ecologist", entitled

"Seeing the Wood from the Trees" by Nicole Freris and Klemens

Laschefski, provides an excellent critique of the FSC movement and

its implications for forest conservation. This article is made

available exclusively on the Internet at the request of the authors

on Forests.org's Forest Conservation Portal at http://forests.org/.

The article's URL is http://forests.org/pdf/fsc_feature_internet.pdf.

The article deconstructs the highly touted "Precious Woods Amazon"

logging operation in Brazil, widely touted as one of the best

examples of successful certified forestry in primary tropical

rainforests.

The article addresses a series of ecological, social and economic

myths found within the rhetoric used by supporters of forest

certification. What impact does certified timber extraction have on

native old-growth forests? Does buying certified tropical timber

products really contribute to saving the world's rainforests? The

tone of the article is set with the rhetorical question, "If

certified logging of the disappearing rainforests is the answer

perhaps we have forgotten what the question was... "

The case is compellingly made that certified forestry is highly

intensive commercial logging that threatens the ecology of most if

not all remaining natural forest wildlands. They conclude that

certification does not halt predatory logging practices in tropical

forests, that it is rejuvenating the tropical timber trade that had

been hurt by environmental boycotts, it is profoundly impacting

tropical ecosystems, and local social benefits are minimal.

"Certified tropical timber sold to an ecologically conscious elite of

the first world has little influence on the global dynamics of the

timber business... buying certified tropical timber is no more than

an additional pressure on primary forests."

It is becoming apparent that certified forestry profoundly changes

old-growth forests and there are real biological costs that are not

well incorporated into FSC criteria. However, the most problematic

aspect of FSC certification comes long before actual management

activities, when decisions are made to log any particular old-growth

forests. There are serious questions regarding possible widespread

certification of logging of the World's remaining old-growth

wildlands - in the Amazon, Congo Basin, Papua New Guinea, Russia and

Canada in particular; and remaining smaller old-growth forest

remnants found elsewhere - that are not being addressed.

What is to become of the World's remaining large forest expanses?

Does more benign management such as FSC certification legitimize

large areas of old-growth forests being logged for the first time,

and thus irreversibly ecologically diminished? Because certified

forest management is more careful and follows more reasonable

management principles, should more forests be managed and less

preserved than otherwise would be the case? Are there procedures for

certifying agencies to recommend that a particular forest not be

logged at all, based upon outstanding natural values, and despite the

intention of the owners to do so?

Forest stands are not sustainably managed - forest landscapes and

ecosystems are. FSC's principles must be expanded and strengthened

to consider larger questions of best use of remaining forest

wildlands, and their landscape level sustainability. Mechanisms must

be developed to ensure that promotion of certification is not

providing incentives, nor establishing pressure, to increase supply

of certified timber by opening more wildlands to logging. There must

be criteria to determine when strict preservation is favorable to

management of any type - even if there is pressure to log the area.

For certification to be a positive force for protection of large

forest wildlands and landscape level sustainability, certified

management of any one area must be coupled with widespread

establishment of much larger, adjacent and encompassing strictly

protected areas. 10% conservation set asides is not adequate. More

attention must be paid in the certification principles to the ratio

and spatial arrangement of preserved forests relative to certifiably

managed forests - seeking to meet the scientific requirements for

upscale sustainability of the forest ecosystem. Otherwise the

World's forest wildernesses will become tree farms.

The degree to which mainstream environmental groups such as WWF and

Greenpeace have embraced forest certification is shocking. It does

not seem to have been based on sound scientific analysis of the

requirements for forest sustainability. But rather seems to be based

upon being seen as doing something, anything; and enlarging their

memberships and financial resources. Apparently FSC, WWF and

Greenpeace are working with Malaysian loggers to certify some of

their massive and rapidly expanding rainforest logging operations.

These companies such as WTK, Rimbunan Hijau, Samling and others are

notorious eco-villains, with an appalling history of environmental

and social abuses. Should environmental groups be in the business of

reforming predatory loggers? Can they be reformed? Regardless of

the management practices, is logging of this scale justifiable?

These environmental conglomerates ultimately are legitimizing

extensive commercial logging of most of the World's forest

wildernesses.

Despite this scathing critique, this author continues to hope that

FSC certification will realize its potential as a force for

sustainable forestry AND forest protection. Certified forestry in

concept clearly shows great potential to be ONE component of a

strategy for the eventual elimination of deforestation and

achievement of global forest sustainability. But not until rules are

developed that clearly state and promote preservation of most

remaining old-growth wildlands, limit most certification to

regenerating secondary forests, and place any certified management of

wildlands that does occur within a matrix of protected areas adequate

to guarantee sustainability of ecosystems across landscapes.

Furthermore, FSC must not take for granted the support of ardent

conservationists that seeks to protect the World's remaining old-

growth forest heritage.

Until FSC can amend its criteria to ensure the World's remaining

forest wildlands are not diminished due to forest certification,

there should be no certification of commercial forestry in remaining

wildlands and old-growth forests. Unless FSC quickly develops

procedures to leave most wildlands and old-growth unlogged, they will

witness renewed calls to the World's citizens to boycott all tropical

and old-growth timbers. Forests.org will be leading the charge.

Forests.org works to end deforestation, preserve old-growth forests,

conserve all forests, maintain climatic systems and commence the age

of ecological restoration.

Copyright 2001, Forests.org, Inc. This article may be reproduced

granted the author and Forests.org are cited as the source.