There are a lot of bad actors in the lumber industry. However, to lump in every lumber company as a villain of the Earth is both unsubstantiated and very misinformed.
Case in point, we recently received a letter from someone who insisted that we were not an eco-friendly lumber company. This person was concerned about a picture they saw of a felled tree on one of our marketing pieces. Our response was not to ignore this person. Below is the response that our CEO sent that dealt directly with this person’s concerns.
“Our industry, like any other, does have some bad players. But let me explain why my company is taking the lead in being a part of the solution, not the problem. I understand your concerns but let me assure you that the tree in question was selected by a Forest Engineer because it no longer produced seed, such a tree is known as a wolf tree. A wolf tree is a tree that literally dominates its immediate surroundings and, because of its advanced age, can no longer reproduce seeds. Contrary to ill-informed and, sadly, popular assumptions, a tree of this status is, in fact, not healthy to a forest. These excessively large trees starves smaller trees of light. You will see in future publications of our newsletters how these trees decay from the inside out and become hollow. This is a perfect tree to cut as it is dying from the inside out but is caught at the right time to still yield a lot of usable lumber.
Moreover, a full 30 year management plan was instituted for the patch of land and certified by the Brazilian government agency IBAMA. This agency ensures only trees that are removed are a benefit to the forest. They allow only a few trees per acre to be cut. They also develop plans to allow the improvement of less abundant struggling species which are sun starved under the canopy of wolf trees. It is one of the best sustainable forest plans that I have seen. They are so meticulous in their planning that they even plan the direction the tree will fall when cut so as to minimize damage to smaller trees and to minimize extraction damage. Replanting of various species in other areas in a 5 to 1 ratio is also implemented.
Proper forest management improves the life and value of a forest when done correctly. I would be happy to speak to you about any doubts you have on our forest management practices, as it is something we take great pride in. Many steps are taken to ensure a positive effect on the forest; for instance unlike any other operation only 10 trees are skidded on any path out of the forest. This ensures quick regrowth on the logging path of new trees and undergrowth. Unlike other operations do not take these measures, our skidding paths are nearly impossible to see after 3 to 6 months. The methods that we employ cost a substantial amount to implement and are anything but profit driven. The felling of these wolf trees improves the future of the forest, improves the diversity of the forest by allowing younger trees of various species to grow that where struggling around it, and provides the native people in a struggling area with food, as well as many other benefits.
These kinds of sustainable forestry projects is being used by the Brazilian government as a example to other forest management sites and to implement new standards.”
Recently the Brazilian government has highlighted that these methods have led to a significant drop in deforestation. In fact, sustainable forestry has led to the Biggest Drop in Deforestation in 20 years.
With these facts in mind, it’s important that people realize that companies like Advantage Trim & Lumber and organizations like the Forest Stewardship Council are working closely to ensure the health and long term sustainability of the rain forest.
With a full inventory of FSC wood available, Advantage Trim & Lumber will continue to lead the way as one of the world’s leading suppliers of eco-friendly wood.