[Greenbuilding] ***Forest Stewardship Council: A list of their latest lying certifications!***

[Tim Keating]

Mary,

At 5:41 PM -0700 10/12/06, Mary Bull - Greenwood Earth Alliance wrote:
>Tim, Please tell me which temperate second-growth certifications are 
>sound--I'd really like to know. Certainly not Tembec, not MRC, not 
>J.D. Irving...

Menomenee Tribal Enterprises seemed to me to be very sound. Collins 
Pine, some of the early ones. I certainly haven't kept up on 
certifications in the temperate regions but I do know that, when one 
is talking about second-growth, it's a lot easier to retain 
ecological functioning in temperate forests (since the big hit was 
the initial clearing and diversity is quite low when compared with 
tropical forests). I think you'd find sound certifications all over. 
Unfortunately, the standards have been undermined so much that 
they're mixed in with lots of ones that are not sound.

>
>The 80% figure concurs with the depletion of the ancient redwood forests--

Well, sure, the US is racked - but that can't be extrapolated across 
the world. The Amazon is still about 80% in-tact, Papua New Guinea, 
the Solomons, large parts of Africa. Siberia is still mostly in-tact 
as well as much of Canada's boreal. Of course, all these places are 
under 'the gun' but we can't just say they're gone.


>in fact, they have entered and destroyed or severely damaged almost 
>98%. With that stat comes the stat that most of this damage was done 
>in the past 30 years, which is true of the redwood forests: circa 
>1970 is when industrial logging went into high gear. By the way, 
>these two stats are many years old by now--I've been using them for 
>the past six years. And Big Timber hasn't been whistling Dixie in 
>the interim.
>
>Tim, I really don't think any one knows for sure the exact figure, 
>at this point.

Well, WRI's study was probably the most rigorous ever done. And FAO 
puts out their figures every five years.

>The latest study of satellite photos released this past year 
>reportedly show that the Amazon has been logged twice as much at 
>twice the rate than was previously believed (I can dig up these 
>articles if you like).

I have them all over our website. I quote them all the time. But that 
doesn't change the 50%-old-growth figure enough to justify saying 20%.

>Where do you get your 50% figure? The UN? I had an exchange with 
>Simon Counsell of Rainforest Foundation, UK, who is at sharp odds 
>with the UN's latest rosy figures,

As am I, Mary. I've been attacking their figures for years. But it's 
mostly because they consider deforestation to be the complete 
clearing of trees. No, I'm getting my figures from WRI, WWF and other 
major studies. Yes, they're a few years old. But in six years we 
haven't gone from 50% old growth to 20%.


>and who believes that there are no reliable figures--there need to 
>be (I can send you those exchanges with all the details as to why 
>they are grossly inaccurate).

I've seen it.


>Environmentalists can figure the damage in their forests--like we 
>have done--and those figures are generally staggering, well beyond 
>the 80% figure--like the 98% of old growth redwood gone.

But that's only for certain areas.


>Or did you want to contest that, too. Please come to the redwoods 
>and show me those millions of acres of ancient forests--I invite you 
>to.

Mary, I'm not sure why you seem to want to take disagreement to this 
level. From where are you deriving your figure of 80% of primary 
forests gone?

tim keating

>
>Mary
>
>Mary Bull, Co-director
>Greenwood Earth Alliance, Save the Redwoods - Boycott the Gap Campaign
>252 Frederick, San Francisco, CA 94117 
><http://www.gapsucks.org>http://www.gapsucks.org
>Chalice Farm and Sustainable Living Center, 748 Montgomery Rd, 
>Sebastopol CA 95472
>415-731-7924 - 415-509-1188 
><mailto:chalicenew at earthlink.net>chalicenew at earthlink.net
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <mailto:t.keating at rainforestrelief.org>Tim Keating
>To: <mailto:chalicenew at earthlink.net>Mary Bull - Greenwood Earth 
>Alliance ; <mailto:GREENBUILDING at LISTSERV.REPP.ORG>Greenbuilding ; 
><mailto:tim at forestcouncil.org>Tim Hermach (Native Forest Council) ; 
><mailto:michael at heritagesalvage.com>Bug Deacon (Heritage Salvage) ; 
><mailto:Greenframe at aol.com>Mike (Green Frame)
>Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2006 5:01 PM
>Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] ***Forest Stewardship Council: A list 
>of their latest lying certifications!***
>
>Mary,
>
>You know I agree with most of what you post - we're no real fan of 
>FSC: while I think that many of the temperate second-growth 
>certifications are sound, we're totally against certifications in 
>old growth rainforests. But I feel compelled to again point out that 
>using the "20%" number for remaining primary forests is, I believe, 
>misleading. The fact is that we've cut through about 50% of the old 
>growth (primary) forests that existed on Earth 6,000 years ago, not 
>80%. The 80% figure comes from World Resources Institute's 
>assessment of what they termed "Frontier Forests" - that is, forests 
>that are expansive and in-tact enough to retain all of their 
>ecological functions. These figures are staggering enough. I think 
>it's important not to confuse these two stats. I've called RAN on it 
>before, too. My concern is that, with the industry constantly trying 
>to undermine our credibility, I don't think giving them more ammo 
>based on us misquoting stats is a good idea.
>
>tim keating
>
>At 9:27 AM -0700 9/29/06, Mary Bull - Greenwood Earth Alliance wrote:
>
>>Greetings, Greenbuilders and Colleagues:
>>
>>Below are the latest bogus FSC certifications (the list at the end 
>>of Rainforest Foundation's executive director Simon Counsell's 
>>letter to Greenpeace (many environmentalists have pressured GP--and 
>>RAN-- to withdraw from the FSC, since their support is what 
>>provides its credibility; when my group did--by writing to GP's 50 
>>offices worldwide, since our direct appeals to their leaders were 
>>ignored--GP and RAN finally wrote public letters denouncing the 
>>heinous, lying Mendocino Redwood Company certification--an 
>>investment of the Fishers of Gap, Inc, hence the boycott---and GP 
>>agreed to sponsor our appeal to the FSC, though they told us we 
>>didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning it). Add them to 
>>the heap of lies already accrued, such as that FSC-certified Tembec 
>>is logging sustainably (30 million acres of boreal forest to be 
>>clearcut). If you want more info on any of these I will send it.
>>
>>  I will also be sending the latest scientific analysis of the 
>>critical importance of maintaining the last intact temperate 
>>rainforests--such as in northern canada and siberia--as an 
>>essential deterrent to global warming...
>>
>>***Note that the FSC certifies industrial logging of primary 
>>forests--the last 20% on the face of the earth!***
>>
>>***The latest proposal to end this pillaging, which seems really 
>>right-on to me, is that governments subsidize the preservation of 
>>primary forests and restoration of secondary forests. When you read 
>>how we in the US subsidize corn, soy, and cotton so that food 
>>processing giants like Cargill (recently nailed by GP for funding 
>>illegal logging of the Amazon to grow soy beans to feed beef that 
>>go into MacDonald's hamburgers) and Archer Daniels Midland (the 
>>GMO-laced high-fructose corn syrup kings, in large part responsible 
>>for the dramatic rise in obesity and diabetes in the US, especially 
>>in children), can get even more obscenely rich, and think that we 
>>could be using that money to preserve and restore this essential 
>>component of the earth's eco-system. Another proposal is to restore 
>>marginal farmland in the southern US to forest, also through 
>>government subsidies--we be fixing two travesties there: industrial 
>>farming and deforestation!***
>>
>>So-called "green" builders have to wake up from their state of 
>>denial, and use only salvaged wood in their buildings, such as that 
>>provided by Heritage Salvage in Petaluma! (Go, Bug, go!!!)
>>
>>I will be at the West Coast Green Building Conference today and 
>>possibly tomorrow handing out literature denouncing the FSC and 
>>hopefully having lunch with my colleagues in this good fight to 
>>save the planet!
>>
>
>Cheers!
>
>Mary
>
>Mary Bull, Co-director
>Greenwood Earth Alliance, Save the Redwoods - Boycott the Gap Campaign
>252 Frederick, San Francisco, CA 94117 http://www.gapsucks.org
>Chalice Farm and Sustainable Living Center, 748 Montgomery Rd, 
>Sebastopol CA 95472
>415-731-7924 - 415-509-1188 chalicenew at earthlink.net
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Simon Counsell
>To: Simon Counsell
>Sent: Friday, September 29, 2006 8:12 AM
>Subject: Greenpeace's misleading public statements concerning the 
>Forest Stewardship Council
>
>
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>   From: Simon Counsell
>   Sent: 29 September 2006 11:11
>   To: 'John.Sauven at uk.greenpeace.org'
>   Cc: 'stephen.tyndale at uk.greenpeace.org'; 
>'pat.venditti at uk.greenpeace.org'; grant.rosoman at dialb.greenpeace.org
>   Subject: Greenpeace's misleading statements concerning the FSC
>   Importance: High
>
>
>   Dear John
>
>   Whilst I applaud your efforts to bring to public attention the UK 
>government's failure to comply with its timber procurement policies, 
>I was very surprised to hear you on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme 
>this morning claiming that "the Forest Stewardship Council is the 
>only system that guarantees that timber comes from legal and 
>sustainable sources". I note that the Greenpeace UK website, as of 
>today, also implies that by buying only FSC timber, the problems of 
>illegal logging and destruction of rainforests would be solved.
>
>   Over the last 18 months or so, I have been sending to your 
>colleagues Gavin Edwards (Greenpeace International Forest Campaign 
>Coordinator), Judy Rodrigues (European Forest Campaign Coordinator) 
>and Grant Rosoman (Greenpeace NZ, and member of the FSC 
>International Board), masses of information on numerous FSC 
>certificated logging operations that absolutely contradicts your 
>claim that FSC guarantees anything of the sort. Your forest 
>campaigning colleague in Greenpeace UK, Pat Venditti, has also 
>received most of this information.
>
>   Only yesterday I circulated to all of the above, including Pat, 
>another piece of information showing how an FSC certified logging 
>operation in Laos is, in fact, producing illegal timber. A couple of 
>days before that, I circulated information about an FSC certified 
>operation in Panama which actually transpires to be a massive 
>financial scam with Mafia connections.
>
>   Other recent bits of information which have been sent to 
>Greenpeace about failures of the FSC system are shown in the 'Annex' 
>below. I would be happy to copy to you all the full correspondence 
>between myself and your Greenpeace colleagues on these FSC failures, 
>as well as all the supporting information and documentation.
>
>   I would add that NONE of the information I have provided on these 
>dismal FSC certificates has been challenged by any of your 
>Greenpeace colleagues. In fact, Greenpeace has been fully aware of 
>the major problems within FSC for at least 4 years - and even 
>acknowledged in 2002 that many if not all of the allegations against 
>the FSC made in the Rainforest Foundation's report 'Trading in 
>Credibility' were, in fact, valid.
>
>   I therefore put it to you that for Greenpeace to claim that "the 
>FSC is the only system that guarantees that timber comes from legal 
>and sustainable sources" is knowingly to mislead the public.
>
>   I therefore suggest that you issue a public retraction, 
>clarification or correction to your statement on the radio this 
>morning, and change the Greenpeace UK website appropriately. Unless 
>such a correction is forthcoming by 15.00 today, I will feel 
>compelled to take steps myself to try and remedy any mis-perception 
>that you have created in the media, the government and the general 
>public.
>
>   Your sincerely
>
>   Simon Counsell
>
>
>   Simon Counsell
>   Director
>
>   The Rainforest Foundation UK
>   196 Old Street
>   London EC1V 9FR
>   England
>   Tel:  +44 (0)207 251 6345
>   Fax: +44 (0)207 251 4969
>   Skype ID: scounsell
>   www.rainforestfoundationuk.org
>
>
>
>   Annex
>
>   Recent information given to Greenpeace about failures in the FSC 
>system (with date on which the information was provided)
>
>   Sept 2nd, 2006 - World Rainforest Movement demands cancellation of 
>ten major FSC certificates for various environmentally and socially 
>damaging industrial plantations around the world, including in 
>Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Ireland, South Africa, Spain and 
>Uruguay.
>
>
>   Also Sept 2nd, 2006 - Presov Forest District in Slovakia (which is 
>clear-felling  natural forest in mountainous areas) is 
>'de-certified' by the Soil Association, but then simply 
>'re-certified by SGS.
>
>   August 1st, 2006 (and in fact, throughout the last year) - 
>Environmental and social groups in Ireland demand the 
>de-certification of Coillte, the Irish State forestry company, for 
>gross non-compliances with the FSC's Principles and Criteria, 
>including use of non-native species, pesticides, destruction of 
>native habitats, lack of accountability, illegalities etc etc etc
>
>   July 24th, 2006 - Spanish environmental groups leave FSC Spain 
>because of the certification of the company NORFOR
>
>   July 19th, 2006 - Ecuadorian environmental and indigenous peoples 
>groups leave FSC Ecuador because of the FSC certification of various 
>awful plantations companies, which are destroying natural forest, 
>using non-native species, in conflict with local communities...
>
>   June 23rd, 2006 - FSC certification of the Cameroonian logging 
>company Wijma, which Greenpeace itself has identified in one of its 
>reports as being deeply involved in criminal activities, so say 
>nothing of destroying tropical rainforests and being in conflict 
>with local Pygmy people.
>
>   June 6th, 2006 - FSC certified company Global Forest Products is 
>found to be exterminating the population of baboons in one of its 
>certified plantation areas in South Africa
>
>   May 30th, 2006 - FSC certified logging company Sumalindo Lestari 
>Jaya is going to start clearfelling 37,000 hectares of its 
>rainforest logging concession in Indonesia
>
>   May 17th, 2006 - FSC's 'controlled wood standard' will actually 
>allow the entry of illegally logged wood into the FSC-certified 
>supply chain
>
>   January 10th, 2006 - Greenpeace urged to withdraw from the FSC by 
>environmental groups in the US who are campaigning against the 
>FSC-certified logging company Mendocino Redwoods, which is 
>destroying ancient redwood forests.
>
>   December 13th, 2005 - Colombian environmental groups call for 
>cancellation of the FSC certificate of Pizano SA
>
>
>
>
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>--
>
>
>"The Earth and myself are of one mind. The measure of the land and the
>measure of our bodies are the same..."
>     	                               - Hinmaton Yalatkit, Nez Perce chief
>____________________________________________
>
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>
>Sparing  the  World's  Rainforests  from  Consumption
>
>Rainforest Relief works to protect the world's remaining tropical
>and temperate rainforests by reducing the demand for the products
>and materials of rainforest destruction such as timber and paper,
>industrial agricultural products such as bananas, beef, coffee,
>chocolate and cut flowers, and mining products
>such as oil, gold and aluminum.
>
>New York, NY: phone: (917) 543-4064
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>http://www.rainforestrelief.org
>info at rainforestrelief.org
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>
>  ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><


-- 


"The Earth and myself are of one mind. The measure of the land and the
measure of our bodies are the same..."
     	                               - Hinmaton Yalatkit, Nez Perce chief
____________________________________________

R   A   I   N   F   O   R   E   S   T        R   E   L   I   E   F

Sparing  the  World's  Rainforests  from  Consumption

Rainforest Relief works to protect the world's remaining tropical
and temperate rainforests by reducing the demand for the products
and materials of rainforest destruction such as timber and paper,
industrial agricultural products such as bananas, beef, coffee,
chocolate and cut flowers, and mining products
such as oil, gold and aluminum.

New York, NY: phone: (917) 543-4064
Portland, OR: (503) 236-3031
http://www.rainforestrelief.org
info at rainforestrelief.org
122 W. 27th Street  *  New York, NY 10001  USA

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