Timber From Managed Sources 2007

NEWS FLASH

Exert from

On Greenpeace;

Environmentalist Protest on the use of Timber from Illegal Loggers

Use of Timber from managed forests PORTO, PORTUGAL March 28

Activists from Greenpeace and Quercus today have taken action to close the main gate of Vicaima near Porto in protest at the company's continued use of timber from illegal and destructive logging from the world's ancient forests.

At 7am this morning 10 activists blockaded the entrance to the main

Use of Timber from managed forests A banner reading 'Stop illegal timber, buy FSC' was hung across the entrance.

Use of Timber from managed forests Vicaima is one of the largest timber processors in Portugal and one of the largest door manufacturers in Europe. Vicaima products are sold in Spain, UK, France and Germany and other European countries.

The company owns and buys most of its timber from one of the timber companies due to purchase timber from them,

Use of Timber from managed forests

Greenpeace are demanding that Vicaima immediately agree to halt any purchases of timber from companies convicted of illegal logging activities and obtain Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

to enable the company to trade timber products that can be shown to come from well-managed forests.

Use of Timber from managed forests "If the trade in illegal timber is to be stopped then companies like Vicaima have to change their ways.

“There can be no excuse for continuing to buy timber from illegal and destructive logging in the world's ancient forests", said Andy Tait of Greenpeace UK.

Use of Timber from managed forests Luis Galrao from Quercus said,

"As well as action from the Portuguese Government its essential that Portuguese timber companies also take action to tackle the illegal timber trade. They can do this by buying timber certified by the FSC".

Use of Timber from managed forests

At the end of 2004 Greenpeace asked a number of Portuguese timber importers to sign statements in support the campaign for EU legislation to stop the import of illegal timber. Vicaima did not respond to correspondence

Use of Timber from managed forests

Notes: The Forest Stewardship Council certification system for timber and timber products provides an internationally recognized, credible system to ensure that wood is obtained from forests managed to strong ecological and social criteria.

Another exert from ;

In the early hours of this morning, Greenpeace volunteers climbed to the top of Admiralty Arch in the south-west corner of Trafalgar Square where renovation work is currently being done on the building. Commuters and tourists were greeted by the sight of a huge banner that read,

"Repeat offender! Blair's trashed another rainforest!" while more volunteers attempted to remove some of the offending material, namely plywood containing hardwoods from the rainforests of Papua New Guinea.

In addition, a representative from Papua New Guinea, Sam Moko, will personally deliver a piece of the plywood to 10 Downing Street with a demand for Tony Blair to stop fuelling the destruction of his forest home. Earlier this year, Brian Baring, another landowner from Papua New Guinea, toured Europe to ask ministers and timber companies to

ban the trade in illegal timber that is dest .

If this policy was strengthened and enforced, it would have a massive effect on the UK timber industry.

Central government buys up to 20 per cent of all timber in the country and with the broader public sector this climbs to around 40 percent.

So that's not just a few planks we're talking about but large quantities of wood going into public building projects and who knows how much of that actually falls

The only thing that will stop the UK's complicit involvement in rainforest destruction is to ban all such illegal timber imports and promote the use of wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. The FSC 'tree tick' logo is the only way to be sure that wood comes from environmental and socially responsible sources, not just for garden furniture and other household items, but wholesale timber as well.

What is the

FSC

FSC is the Forest Stewardship Council’s prestigious

‘Chain of Custody’ Certification which promotes responsible forestry and implements a system that traces products back to their forest of origin.

Certified companies are required to monitor supply chain conditions and integrate review procedures into their production operations.

What is the

FSC

The FSC ’tick tree’ logo on the label is your assurance that the product is made with, or contains, wood that comes from FSCcertified forests.

It enables consumers to choose woodbased products with the confidence that they are not contributing to the destruction of the world's forests and, by buying from certified sources, they are providing a further incentive in the marketplace for

History Forests

The Earth was once covered in ancient forests.

History Home to around two-thirds of all plant and animal species found on land as well as millions of people who depend on them for their survival, they still form some of the most diverse ecosystems known to science and are vitally important to the health of our planet, especially when it comes to regulating the climate.

History But these ancient forests are under threat. A staggering 80 per cent have already been either destroyed or degraded, and half of that has been in the last 30 years.

Illegal and destructive logging, industrialscale farming and, increasingly, climate change all threaten the remaining tracts of forest that have stood for thousands of

History Countless species face extinction and entire communities are being displaced.

If current rates of deforestation continue, some of the last areas of

lost within our lifetimes, ancient forest could be

but we believe this destruction can be stopped.

FSC – Ten

Click the links to see the top ten

You can buy wood products, from all types of forest, with a clear conscience when you see the FSC logo. FSC labelled products are made with consideration for people, wildlife and the environment.

The FSC label guarantees that the trees that are harvested are replaced or allowed to regenerate naturally.

Parts of the forest are protected entirely, in order to protect rare animals and plants.

FSC protects the rights of indigenous people to use the forest. If they have sacred sites in the forest these are exempt from felling.

The forest owner must use local workers to run the forest, and provide training, safety equipment and a decent salary. The forest owner is often obliged to support the community in other ways, such as through the development of schools.

FSC is a market-based initiative which also ensures better conditions for the forest and the people whose livelihoods depend on it.

FSC gives an assurance that future generations will be able to enjoy the benefits of the forest.

All the wood is tracked from the forest to the store. Every link between the forest and the consumer is certified to make it clearly identifiable which wood is FSC certified and which is not.

FSC is the only wood certification scheme endorsed by the major environmental charities, including; WWF, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, The Woodland Trust.

The FSC label is not only available on wood for furniture. It can also be found on floors, decking, paper, printed matter, charcoal, kitchen utensils, even venison and footballs!

Did you know ?

House builders have capacity to build one additional house per week with exactly the same cost and resources if they swap to modern methods of construction such as;

Timber Frame (Source: National Audit Office)

Did you know ?

Snagging costs are reduced by a third compared with masonry homes, because of the tighter quality control of factory produced components

(Source: National Audit Office)

Did you know ?

Timber frame systems are particularly suited to Brownfield sites with poor soil conditions (sites that favour lighter buildings) and sites with restricted access

Did you know ?

The co2 emissions from a single timber frame three bed detached home are 16.5% less than a brick and block equivalent .

(Source: Edingburgh Centre for Carbon Management)

Did you know ?

You can achieve up to 86% reduction in greenhouse gases by increasing the amount of timber specified in buildings

(Source: Edingburgh Centre for Carbon Management)