There
is no question that we need more trees all over
our world. One estimate is that we need 7 to
14 billion acres replanted in order to reforest
the earth (the Earth Island Institute says that
the world's trees are cut and burned 30 times
faster than they are being planted). The plantation
industry has called for massive global planting
strategies to offset the increasing demand for
timber. But maybe the whole timber industry
needs to collectively stop for a moment to consider
the possibility that the people of the world
need to use less timber and not be so wasteful
with the (timber and non-timber) resources we
already have.
Perhaps
you have heard the phrase "Less Consumption,
More Joy"? Regardless, it is becoming increasingly
apparent that the more we desecrate this playground,
Earth, by taking more than we care to give in
return, the more unhappy we become. This, above
than any other factor, is the reason why this
Guide has attempted to pursue a holistic agenda,
and in doing so, attempt to inspire YOU, the
reader, to act on your awareness of the situation,
and not merely become better informed. All the
sensible suggestions in the world will not turn
around the crassness of our present-day 'consume-at-all-costs'
consciousness unless there exists the group-will
to put earth-friendly ideas into action. Political
will to change can only follow in the wake of
community initiative.
"Good
Wood" as a definitinitive term, needs no longer
necessarily to confine itself to timber products
and their usage. Many non-timber building alternatives
are "Good Wood", too, in that their use reduces
our need to imprudently consume precious timber
resources.
Many
more variables have been added to the Good Wood
equation in the nineties: for example, timber
certification, value adding, wood-use reduction
campaigns, the mainstreaming of what were once
"alternative" non-timber building materials,
etc.
The
call by conservationists and consumers for an
expanded plantation base for our timber industry
can be seen as only the first of many steps
back to harmony with (human) nature. Beyond
the present push to create sufficient numbers
of hardwood and softwood monoculture plantations,
we need to progress to the point where eventually
all our plantations are established and managed
using a diverse mixture of species. For this
to happen, we will need to increase our understanding
of the need for greater biodiversity within
our cultivated areas, whilst we continue to
adequately satisfy material needs.
A
happy consequence of achieving this aim will
be a decrease in land disturbance and wastage.
Beyond this again lies the potential for plantations
to begin to very closely approximate natural
forest. In fact, it is possible that one day,
large plantations as separate entities will
cease to exist. In their place could be (huge)
wilderness areas, managed natural forests of
more modest size, plus smaller woodlots, bounded
and buffered by the natural forest. Is there
a place for industrial forestry within the context
of this vision? Of course! However, "industry"
as we know it then, may bear little resemblance
to the present model.
This
Guide still has a way to go before it can consider
itself a truly comprehensive and authoritative
purchasing aid and reference source. There are
still many negatives and unknowns about timber
and the industry from the consumer's point of
view: Toxicity of glued and treated timbers;
the use of pesticides in forest management;
the whereabouts and credibility of tradespeople,
designers, timber processers and sellers who
claim to be ethical; the location of public
and private plantation sources of 'good wood';
and the dilemma of which species are "good"
and which are "bad". Supplies of ethically produced
timbers are nowhere near meeting green consumer
demand.
-
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One
of the biggest issues in terms of global perception
of the timber industry's operations is that
of corruption. The money that can be made from
short-term forest exploitation is staggering!
Certain corporations and individuals seem to
be drawn to the logging 'game' purely because
they crave maximum material gain - this at the
expense of every other living thing.
