in the trenches/forests

 

6. Hotspots

Certified Sustainable Forestry

Most forestland in the world--public or private--is available for cutting. In the US, the 190+ million acres of the National Forest system are made up of "working" forests, not wilderness, set aside to ensure a long-term supply of timber. Globally, national parks and other protected areas account for only 6% of forests.

To address the future of the remaining 94%, environmentalists and foresters are searching for new ways to manage forests. Many think they may have found an answer with "certified sustainable forestry."

Sustainable forestry is, in theory, silvicultural management which preserves essential forest ecosystem functions over the long-term. Forests are managed in a way that mimics or preserves their natural structure and composition. In contrast with industrial forestry, sustainable forestry requires longer rotations (80+ years as opposed to 20-50 years), preservation of all representative tree species, low-impact cutting techniques, and other eco-friendly management practices.

What sets sustainable forestry apart from past reforms in forest management is the idea of third-party, independent certification. In order to call their operations sustainable, forest managers need certification from a professional organization. These certification organizations, while taking into account local and regional ecological, economic, and social factors, adhere to international standards and principles. Advocates promise benefits both to forests and to landowners, who would profit from consumer recognition of ecolabels on their products.

Certified sustainable forestry is still very much an emerging phenomenon, and poses as many questions as it answers. Some of those questions revolve around the certification process. Which standards and principles should govern certification? What international body should accredit the certifiers? What is the appropriate role for the forest products industry? A number of influential conservation organizations have united behind the Forest Stewardship Council, a non-profit organization, as the best candidate for oversight and certification. Industry and governments have their own ideas, though, and there are a wide variety of competing initiatives which all want to control the certification process and determine its standards.

In addition, fundamental questions remain about the efficacy of certified sustainable forestry. Can any harvesting regime really assure ecosystem protection? If so, can forestry that sustains ecosystems also provide adequate economic returns? And what constitutes an "adequate" return? Some scientists argue that the time and effort spent promoting sustainable forestry only detracts from a necessary emphasis on increasing the acreage of fully-protected areas. Others say that sustainable forestry is almost intrinsically uneconomical, since the increase in net costs associated with its management practices can't be offset by premiums charged for its certified products. Finally, differences in the regenerative abilities of different forest ecosystems, in the value of different tree species, and in local and national economic conditions all raise questions about the applicability of any single management strategy across time and space.

Despite these and other questions, some of the best minds in forest economics and ecology believe that sustainable forestry is the future of forest management. Their job now is to prove this with real-world examples.

 

Web Resources

Readers interested in learning more about certified sustainable forestry should visit:

 

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