SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY

SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY: At the harvesting, export, and value-added finished product levels

Isoroy

Isoroy is a French Timber Company that operates in Gabon using an environmental code of conduct which is developed on its own in order to sustainably use its forest concession in this West African nation. Isoroy has a 30-year management plan to harvest trees in a manner that minimizes damage to the forest system by setting limits for fellings and adopting procedures to lessen the impact on surrounding trees (like cutting vines). The company plans to plant new trees and encourage environmentally responsible activities for its workers. Isoroy is building a fish pond and chicken farm to provide alternative sources of meat, so its workers will not seek out bushmeat (the traffic of bushmeat on logging trucks is strictly prohibited under company rules). Additionally, the company plans to set up educational classes for employees and their families to understand and respect the environment on which they depend. Isoroy also supports researchers who will study the concession to measure the impact of logging. The company realizes it must protect its investment: without conserving forest resources, it will run out of timber before its concession expires.

Recently Isoroy and the parent company of Leroy Gabon has come under fire by the Rainforest Action Network and other conservation groups for a 518,000 (210,000 ha) concession in and around Lope Reserve in Gabon. Mounting evidence suggests that Leroy Gabon planned to log primary rainforest, a direct violation of the most rudimentary tenants of sustainable forestry. The firm is building logging roads that will allow the inflow of illegal poachers who will hunt animals like the endangered lowland gorilla for bushmeat. Though originally approved by the Forest Steward Council (FSC) as a sustainable forestry project, FSC conceded that the concession violates fundamental sustainable forestry standards and withdrew certification for the project. Isoroy's forest management plan, though it did not stick to it, can serve as a template for future attempts at sustainable forestry.

EcoTimber International

EcoTimber International, based in Berkeley, California is a timber company that supplies exotic hardwoods only from sustainably managed forest operations. Founded in 1992, EcoTimber is a growing company whose clients include environmentally conscious contractors, woodworkers, and furniture makers.

The Woodworkers Alliance for Rainforest Protection (WARP)

The WARP coalition is dedicated to achieving sustainable forest management and certification of sustainably harvested rainforest wood. Members include Home Depot, Smith and Hawken, Herman Miller, Ikea, Silas Kopf, and numerous other furniture makers and woodworkers.