Almost one fifth of all imported wood in the European Union has been cut illegally. The main countries of origin are Russia, Indonesia and China, reported the World Welfare Foundation (WWF) today. This environmental NGO wants more powerful measures to stop illegally logged wood from being imported into the EU. The current voluntary permit systems do not work, according to WWF.
Some numbers
The amount of illegally cutted wood imported into the EU was in 2006 between 26.5 and 31 millions cubic meter. That quantity corresponds to the total harvest in Poland in that year! “Illegal logging devastates the protecting functioning of trees and increases the risk on natural disasters such as landslides”, says wood expert Anke Schulmeister of the WWF-office in Brussels. “Deforestation is also of the largest causes of climate change.” According to her, the largest flow of ‘wrong wood’ of Russia goes to Finland. Factories process it in pulp and paper for other EU countries. A less large flow comes from Indonesia. China tripled her export of wood and paper to the EU between 2003 and 2006. A third of the wood used in this production, was cutted illegal.
The WWF asks the EU for legislation which allows the import of only legally cut down wood. Traders should prove the origin of their wood. When countries or companies violate these measures, strict sentences must follow, says the WWF.
Wooden you
So what’s fair wood and what’s not? It’s not always easy to see (or find out) but if you want to play all fair, it’s safest to buy wood certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). The independent organization FSC awards its label to wood that comes from sustainably managed forests. The label also guarantees that the rights of indigenous people are safeguarded. You can recognize fair wood by their FSC label (see image). And to help you a little more, Globalina made a list of good wood and a list of bad wood. So you know exactly how to shop wood-good! To find out how much ancient forest (illegal wood) you already have in your living space (or not) or for more info about what to-do and what not-to-do in woodworld, check out Greenpeace’s foresthouse.
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