DLH creates world’s largest certified tropical forest

2 June, 2008

DLH subsidiary CIB has created the world’s largest tract of certified tropical forest after more than doubling the amount of Forest Stewardship Council-approved (FSC) rainforest it operates in the Congo Basin.

The area now extends to 750,000ha in the northern part of Congo-Brazzaville.

The FSC said it is the largest ever tract of contiguous certified tropical forest, having previously certified 300,000ha there in 2006. The new area was created with help from the Tropical Forest Trust, which worked with nomadic pygmies equipped with icon-based GPS units.

TFT executive director Scott Poynton said: “Under often challenging circumstances CIB and their partners have achieved what many in the industry have long thought impossible while maintaining the high FSC standard.

“Now it is up to to consumer markets to respond to this increase in availability of FSC products and choose sustainably produced wood products over those from dubious origins.”