Eco-Labels, Building Green, and Forest Sustainability

Alex Nelson

02/21/2008

CE 308

Article Assignment #1

Eco-Labels, Building Green, and Forest Sustainability

Introduction:

Mismanagement of our forests is one of the largest dangers to our environment to date. For decades illegal and negligent logging practices have left many of our forest in a state of disarray. This reckless deforestation has created a dramatic loss in wildlife habitat and a loss in biodiversity. Given that there were not global standards for the protection and management of the world’s forest, environmental organizations needed to create a way to prevent this irresponsible logging. One of these solutions came in the form of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

The idea behind the FSC is that they would install standards and practices for managing sustainable forest and the loggers that met these standards would have their product stamped with an eco-label. These stamped and eco-friendly products are in turn sold to consumers who want to support proper wilderness management in their building project. With the increasing growth in the green building market there has come an increasing incentive for loggers to practice proper forest management. The FSC is a global instrument that enables consumers to promote sustainable forestry techniques.

Body:

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an environmental non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing consumers with certified green lumber that comes from sources that are committed to proper forest management and forest sustainability. The FSC was created by the WorldWide Fund for Nature (WWF) in 1993 in response to the fact that there was not a global legally binding statement on forest principles. The goal of the FSC is to promote environmentally appropriate, socially acceptable, and economically viable management of the world’s forest.

For a forest to become FSC certified it needs to meet the principles and criteria set forth for each country or region. Some of the principles and criteria include the rights of the indigenous people and workers, property use and rights, maintenance of old growth forest, minimization of environmental impact, and the economic maximization of forest products. If these sound harvesting and managing techniques are followed the landowner will then be able to sign a five year contract with the certifier that requires the landowner to maintain their forest management to FSC standards. Harvested trees are then sent to an FSC certified mill where it will be turned into FSC certified lumber which can be purchased worldwide.

By stamping lumber with the FSC eco-label, eco-friendly lumber is then able to be pulled to the front of the market and in turn reduce the market demand for non-environmentally accountable companies. By green building projects not wanting to reward companies who do not manage their forest to the highest standards, the FSC certification system provides them with the ability to reward those who practice environmentally appropriate methods.

Personal Commentary/Conclusion:

Green building has become a quickly increasing market which in turn creates an increasing demand for green building products. The United States is the largest consumer of the world’s forest products. It accounts for roughly half of global consumption, half of which is used in construction. This is why it is vitally imperative that the demand for environmentally friendly forest products increases. Our forests are one of the most important resources on the planet, and the proper management and upkeep of these forests should be a top concern for anybody looking to start a new construction project.

The use of eco-labels is not the only method available for protecting these forests, but it is a very feasible method to help eliminate deforestation. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) developed globally important principles and criteria for forest management and more importantly they turned to market pressures. They were hoping that there would be enough demand on the part of customers for environmentally and socially friendly forest products that the FSC might have a chance of denting or even reversing global deforestation. The next step forward belongs to the customer and the question of “Where does my wood come from?” The only way for the FSC to make