in the trenches/forests
3. Activist Groups
World Resources Institute: Forest Frontiers InitiativeA major new undertaking by WRI. Best feature is an excellent guide to internet resources on forests, organized by region (continents) and by sector (major forest policy and management issues). Also noteworthy are the global and regional maps, and the forest events calendar which lists upcoming meetings on forest issues. The discussion forum might be better if someone, anyone, participated.
Earth Island Institute: ReThink Paper CampaignLooking for alternatives to paper that won't gum up your copier or get your kids high? If so, this Website is an excellent place to start. The section on ecological paper resources has information on environmentally correct paper and paper alternative retailers, suppliers, manufacturers, printers, and industry associations. The site also has sections on two prominent paper alternatives, kenaf and hemp, each of which provides an overview article and limited links to Websites relevant to these two issues.
American Forest & Paper AssociationLeading voice of the U.S. forest products industry. Primarily focused on the work of AF&PA and its member companies, including initiatives on paper production and recycling and forest management. Of particular interest is a description of AF&PA's principles for sustainable forestry, an important and controversial effort by the forest products industry to create a certification regime for its own members. The site also provides technical information on wood products manufacturing processes, and extensive links to other Websites which address paper, forest products, and paper recycling.
If you're looking for cool graphics and innovative audio programs, you've definitely come to the wrong place. But, if you want to get the skinny on certification of forests globally, these guys can't be ignored. Right now, they're in the driver's seat. Maybe someone will add something to the site besides text, text, text.
Promotes conservation of trees throughout the United States. Numerous resources for local educating, tree planting, and youth organizing.
One of the most visually adept sites in the environmental Web world, with a wealth of information on rainforest issues. Focus on direct action, with summaries of major RAN campaigns and action alerts for users. Also has more substantive components, including brief book reviews, information on rates of rainforest destruction, and an analysis of ecotourism and rainforests. Plus, an excellent list of sustainable forest consumer products.
Information on WWF's new Forests For Life Campaign. One of the highlights is a World Forest Map, sub-divided into over 80 national maps which provide the extent of forest cover and note forest protected areas and certified forests endorsed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Also summarizes the Forests For Life campaign, with its dual focus on increasing protected areas for forests and establishing a global forest certification system.
Good starting point to access Web resources on wood use reduction and wood use alternatives. Other than some brief description of the organization's mission and a paper on "Using Less Wood in Buildings", most of this site is dedicated to connecting the user to other resources.
CI is one of the big US international forest conservation organizations, with field projects in 23 countries. Focus on biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest products. Site is somewhat narrowly focused on CI's work, but provides good descriptions of their science programs (including their well-known Rapid Assessment Program and Geographic Information Systems Program) and their field projects on eco-tourism and local capacity building.
Best first stop for anyone interested in protection of boreal forests (forests of the high northern latitudes). Excellent archive of scientific and popular press articles, organized by region and topic. Detailed information on boreal forest hotspots in Russia, Canada, the Nordic countries, and Alaska. Unfortunately, few links to other resources on boreal forests.
One of the best-looking forest sites. Innovative graphics, funky colors, lots of opportunity for interaction. Starts with three constantly updated figures: rainforest acres lost since January 1996, rainforest acres conserved in that time, and global population growth (scary to watch - it goes up by about five people each second). Details on the Alliance's research/advocacy programs, including SmartWood (a leading forest certification effort), ECO-O.K, and the Natural Resources and Rights Program. A great place for kids to start learning about forest issues.
Competitive Enterprise InstituteFor those seeking assurances that global forests are healthier than ever, here's your site. While CEI addresses much more than forest issues, there are several sections which address its forest policy concerns. Especially illuminating is the two page list of statistics which demonstrate that forests worldwide are healthy and expanding, particularly in the New World now that those destructive Native Americans are no longer cutting down all the trees. A unique perspective.
A typical representative of many regional forest group Websites. Focus is preservation of forests in California, with a big emphasis on the Headwaters forest debate. The site also has an impassioned essay on the importance of grassroots organizing, a good lesson for why it is important not to ignore the presence of smaller groups on the Web.
Example of all that a small group can accomplish with technology. Site has stories, essays, and photos on critical environmental issues in the region; reviews of local national forest and Bureau of Land Management timber sales; and links to contact people at the Federal, State, and local agencies who manage the area's resources.
Fairly representative of sites produced by the forest products industry. Boise Cascade highlights its corporate practices on Ecosystem Management, Forest Management, Minimizing Waste, Air and Water, Recycling, Fish, and Wildlife, and presents arguments on contentious issues such as preserving biodiversity, managing streamside forests, and forest health. Good list of links to industry related sites, and an environmental quiz with questions such as: "Paper and forest products companies work with the government to achieve environmental improvements, true or false?".
More on Forests:
Table of Contents | Twelve Hundred Words or Less... | Web Resources
Activist Groups | Voices | New in the Literature
Hotspots | On the Other Hand... | Funders