This September is the Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC) Forest Week, taking place between the 21st and 27th, aiming to raise awareness of responsible forestry and timber practices.
For example, by choosing timber frame manufacturers who source their materials from certified suppliers, it is possible to contribute to sustainable forestry and help fight climate change and biodiversity loss.
What is the FSC?
The FSC was established in 1993, and is a non-profit organisation that works to promote the responsible use of forests worldwide. It has an established timber certification system that is granted to forests and forestry products. In order to carry the FSC logo, the product must have responsible environmental, social and economic sources.
The FSC standards are based on a set of internationally agreed principles. These include compliance with all applicable laws, treaties, conventions and so on; consideration for the social and economic wellbeing of workers; protecting the rights of indigenous peoples; and maintaining or enhancing the social and economic wellbeing of local communities.
Crucially, the principles also include a pledge to conserve and restore the ecosystem and environment, and to avoid, mitigate or repair negative environmental impacts.
Why is sustainable forestry more important than ever?
Forests are not just resources that are there to be exploited for the benefit of humans; they are a crucial part of the ecosystem, helping to clean the air, provide home for wildlife and contribute to biodiversity. However, it’s estimated that over 12 million hectares of forest are lost every year as a result of illegal logging and clearance for grazing or development.
A thriving forest helps to absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the earth’s atmosphere and contributes to global warming. However, when a forest is destroyed, thousands of tonnes of carbon are released into the atmosphere.
This is contributing to a warmer climate that will eventually lead to rising sea levels, potentially flooding huge tracts of coastline around the world. This could displace millions of people as they are forced to leave their homes and abandon their livelihoods.
Rising global temperatures also make crop failures more frequent, and this could lead to global food shortages. Livestock rearing could also be endangered as grazing land becomes scarcer and of worse quality. The risk of adverse weather events such as storms, floods, droughts and wildfires becomes more frequent, causing further habitat loss.
Hotter weather is also detrimental to human health, as air quality worsens, and vulnerable people such as the very old, very young, and immunocompromised suffer in intense heat waves and unhealthy air. Water sources may be reduced, and it will be harder to maintain the quality of water supplies.
The importance of well managed forests
When managed responsibly, forests can benefit humanity and provide a vital source of sustainable timber. This reduces the dependence on less sustainable and more carbon intensive materials such as concrete and steel.
Actively managed forests also help to protect biodiversity, and the FSC requires that forests are managed in a way that will enhance, restore or conserve the ecosystem. It protects natural forests from being converted into plantations that lack meaningful biodiversity, and acts to verify data on species abundance and diversity and natural forest cover.
How can you get involved in Forest Week?
Simply by looking for the FSC logo or equivalent on purchases such as timber, paper and cardboard, you can help to support sustainable forestry. You can also use social media to raise awareness with your local community using the hashtag #FSCForestWeek. If you are a business owner, you can switch to FSC certified suppliers.
These choices not only promote sustainable timber practices, but also protect wildlife and plant species, mitigate the risks of climate change, and help preserve the planet for future generations.