Tropical timber purchases sustain forests

As the trade continues to adapt to the demands of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), one trend is disconcerting those of us who promote the use of tropical woods: countries in the northern hemisphere are using less and less tropical wood. The International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) reports that sales in Europe have declined by 50% over the past five years. The market in the US, in fact the whole forest products sector in the US, has dropped by 50% since 2005.

While some of this is attributable to economic conditions, there is an attitude among architects, designers, and manufacturers not to use tropical woods.

Well-meaning people hold the mistaken belief that not buying these woods conserves tropical forest. Instead, this de facto boycott reduces the economic incentive for people who live and work in tropical countries to manage their forests sustainably. Like any of us, people in the tropical forests will choose to feed their families first. If they see their forests as less valuable than that same land converted to agriculture, they will convert the land.

The Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF) is a non-profit formed in 1990 by an alliance of industry, conservation, and scientists from universities. The founding principles came from a workshop at The Smithsonian Institution, led by noted tropical ecologist Dr Thomas Lovejoy. The workshop reached three key conclusions: tropical forests will be conserved only if they are accorded economic value; blanket bans and embargos tend to depress the value of hardwoods and the forests; funds obtained from products of tropical forests must be rechannelled into managing and regenerating those forests.

TFF went to work to understand and promote these principles. In 1994 it began a pilot research project on Reduced Impact Logging (RIL), which led to the development of the standard for RIL, widely seen as the best practice for production forestry in the tropics.

TFF, based in Washington, DC, has developed training in a range of sustainable forestry practices and delivers that training through centres in South America, Asia/Pacific, and Africa. Many of the forest concessions trained by TFF go on to achieve certification by the Forest Stewardship Council or a scheme under the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification. We have also developed a certification called Legal Verified with Chain of Custody.

But, 23 years after the founding of TFF, statistics show that we need to extend and expand our efforts to ensure that the forests are valued for their forest products. An estimated 13 million ha of tropical forest are lost each year, most of it (73% according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation) due to conversion to agriculture. When forests are cleared for agriculture, usually the forest products are unused and destroyed.

While the EUTR hasn't yet had an impact in the market, our fear is that the extra burden of regulatory compliance will further impede the flow of tropical woods into the European market. To ensure that the tropical forest is here in the future, we strongly encourage you to buy tropical woods, and to be certain to buy from legal, well-managed sources. The future of the forest will be determined by our choices. To contribute or become a member of TFF, visit www.tropicalforestfoundation.org.