January - March 2001
Growing Wood More Wisely
New Techniques and Standards Could Save Last Ancient Forests, Restore Damaged Woodlands
Trees. How we love to look at them, climb them, and lie in their cooling shade. But we all also use the many products made from them to build and heat our homes, panel our offices, and provide the paper our offices devour. Yet at the rate we are consuming them, ecologists warn that the last of our forest wildlands will soon be tattered remnants of their former glory.
- More than 95% of our ancient forests have fallen. East of the Rockies, only a scattering of individual specimens remain. Global forest cover has been reduced by 20 to 50% since pre-agricultural times.
- Tropical rainforests are being felled at a rate of two football fields per second, 214,000 acres per day -- an area the size of New York City.
- The average American uses 735 lbs. of paper each year. Half the waste in our landfills is paper that could have been recycled.
We use wood as if there were no tomorrow. Yet we depend on healthy forests for our very survival to stabilize our climate, fertilize our soil, shelter wildlife, remove air and water pollutants, and so much more. How can we reconcile our need to utilize our forests with our equally urgent need to preserve them?
Many say the time has come to stop turning the last of our ancient forests into two-by-fours and toilet paper. And not just sentimentalists and schoolchildren:
- The nation's two largest do-it-yourself home retailers, Home Depot and Lowe's, and two of the nation's largest homebuilders, Kaufman & Broad and Centex, have adopted policies that phase out old-growth products, phase in sustainably harvested wood products, and promote wood efficiency and conservation.
- Communities nationwide are adopting "plant a tree" programs to re-green their streets while improving water quality, reducing air conditioning needs, and stimulating economic development.
- Maintaining and certifying strict environmental and labor standards in forest management offers a promising remedy for the most damaging impacts of conventional forest management. The Forest Stewardship Council, the gold standard of certifiers, offers independent, third party certification to forestland managers, lumber mills, and retailers around the world.
The logging industry has begun responding to these marketplace shifts by transforming its harvesting techniques to meet the needs of customers like Home Depot. In response to consumer and stakeholder campaigns, companies are changing the way they use and procure paper and other forest products, instituting policies that reduce costs and yield other bottom-line benefits.
The Mainstream Media Project offers you pioneers in all aspects of this new forestry movement, from those preserving ancient forests to those promoting forest-friendly products and innovative harvesting and restoration techniques. Find out how to save our trees and use them too.
Between January and March 2001, MMP conducted a major public education campaign on these issues. In all, we scheduled 252 radio, television, and print interviews in 31 states. Of these, 41 were regionally, nationally or globally syndicated. Some 82 authorities were interviewed on such topics as saving what's left of our ancient forests, sustainable forest management, and recycling and alternative fibers.
Guest Speakers by Topic
Ancient Forests: What Are We Losing? How Can We Save What's Left?
Randy Hayes, Founder and President, Rainforest Action Network
Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, World Renowned Biodiversity Expert
Michael Marx, Executive Director, Forest Ethics
Dirk Bryant, Director, Global Forest Watch program, World Resources Institute
Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council
Dr. Jack Putz, Professor of Botany, University of Florida
Sustainable Forest Management: Forests for the Future
Chris Maser, Co-Author, Forest Certification in Sustainable Development: Healing the Landscape
Herb Hammond, Forest Ecologist and Professional Forester
Steve Gatewood, Executive Director, Society for Ecological Restoration
Walter Smith, Western Regional Manager, SmartWood; Co-Author, Forest Certification in Sustainable Development: Healing the Landscape
Richard Hart, Oregon Coordinator, Forest Stewards Guild
Can We Build Better with Less Wood and More Alternative Materials?
Sami Yassa, Senior Scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council
Betsy Pettit, Architect and President, Building Science Corporation
Lynne Elizabeth, National Board Member, Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility; Editor and Contributing Author, Alternative Construction: Contemporary Natural Building Methods
Rolf Bell, Director of Development, Western Region, Habitat for Humanity International
Following the Paper Trail: Recycling and Alternative Fibers
Susan Kinsella, Executive Director, Conservatree
Todd Larsen, Managing Director, Co-op America and Campaign Manager of its WoodWise Consumer Initiative
John Anner, Executive Director, Independent Press Association
A Better Bottom Line: Will Business Take the Lead?
Steve Lippman, Senior Program Manager, Environment Program, Business for Social Responsibility
Todd Paglia, Director of Campaigns, Forest Ethics
Companies Marketing Old-Growth-Free and FSC-Certified Products
David Ford, President and CEO, Certified Forest Products Council
Jason Grant, President and CEO, EcoTimber
Wade Mosby, Senior Vice President, Collins Pine Company
Can Certified Wood Curtail Clearcut Forestry and Find a Mainstream Market?
Hank Cauley, Executive Director, Forest Stewardship Council-U.S.
Richard Donovan, Director, SmartWood
Robert Hrubes, Senior Vice President, Forest and Marine Conservation Programs, Scientific Certification Systems
Kate Heaton, Senior Forestry Specialist, Natural Resources Defense Council
Public and Private Forestry: How Can We Manage for Conflicting Uses?
Catherine Mater, Vice President and CEO, Mater Engineering
Daniel Hall, Director, Forest Biodiversity Project, American Lands Alliance
Steve Holmer, Campaign Coordinator, American Lands Alliance
Southeastern Forests: From Native Hardwoods to Chip Mills and Factory Forestry
Danna Smith, Director of Programs, Dogwood Alliance
