Timber Industry Essay ⋆ Environment Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

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Wood and wood fiber are found in thousands of different products that meet a variety of human needs. Accessible forests have been increasingly harvested around the globe, although relatively untouched areas still exist in isolated regions such as Siberia. Nevertheless, due to rising awareness of the problems associated with deforestation and biodiversity loss, there is increasing protection for primary forests, especially rare or endangered ecosystems. As much as 10 percent of the earth’s forested areas are designated for conservation, yet the degree of protection varies by country and region.

Transition to plantation forestry is rapidly expanding, although less than 5 percent of global forests are currently within plantations. Large-scale, industrial production is used to produce low-cost lumber and paper products. Plantations cannot be considered a replacement for native forests as there is a considerable reduction in biodiversity. Forests managed for commercial production face other ecological risks, such as the use of herbicides as a treatment during reforestation in order to give timber species an advantage over vegetation that is not commercially valuable. There is also controversy over international research in genetic engineering to promote desirable traits for rapid lumber production, which is sometimes advocated as a means to take pressure off of natural forests, but there is concern that altered genes may drift into wild areas.

Productive timber lands are deemed a good economic investment, but a variety of natural disturbances can impact harvests: Fires, insect damage, floods, ice, wind, and hurricanes. Hurricane Katrina is believed to have damaged billions of board feet in the southern United States, and only a small percentage was recovered before the wood began to deteriorate.

Despite the large number of tree species existing around the globe, the timber industry has focused on just a few. On average, 5 percent of the tree species native to a country are either vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. In most regions as few as 10 tree species dominate commercial markets. Illegal logging contributes to the overextraction of favorite tree species, such as big-leaf mahogany. Timber companies increasingly support international campaigns against illegal logging because they realize that illegal practices keep global timber prices low. Illegal timber extraction also means a loss of revenue for state programs, including some targeting forest conservation.

Timber companies frequently harvest in areas of indigenous peoples, as their homelands are where the largest expanses of natural forest remain. In many countries the government maintains control over natural resources and can often grant concessions without local approval. While more than 80 percent of the world’s forests are publicly owned, private ownership is increasing.

In spite of corporate mergers and acquisitions, as a result of a harsh operating environment for the industry post-2000, timber is often sold through a series of smalland medium-size intermediaries located in countries all over the world. When unable to compete to produce cheap roundwood, companies in industrial countries look to encourage additional processing with paneling or engineered products. While wood remains a popular construction material, there has been some transition away from traditional lumber boards to a variety of engineered wood products, such as particle board, oriented strand board, and composite board. These products make use of smaller trees or waste from milling, but there is concern over the environmental safety of some chemicals used as binding agents.

Timber extraction and lumber processing involves environmental regulation related to air emissions, wastewater discharge, solid and hazardous waste management, site remediation, and forestry operations. While there have been undisputed improvements to many logging operations around the world in recent years, there are still widespread challenges to sustainability. Slickly marketed “green” forest products are sometimes only slightly improved from their conventional counterparts.

Since 1995 there has been a transition in the timber industry created by independent certification of sustainable ecological lumber harvested within socially just production systems. The original intent was to focus on tropical areas, but international certification grew most quickly in temperate and boreal forests. The world’s largest certified forest product marketing companies include giant chains like Home Depot, IKEA, and B&Q. Such stores were previously criticized for contributing to tropical deforestation and thus have been able to improve their public image with this “eco-friendly” product line. However, there are many competing certification standards around the globe, and they are not equally stringent. Industry standards are often not as rigorous as independent regimes, such as the Forest Stewardship Council.

Bibliography:

American Forest and Paper Association, ” “Illegal’ Logging and Global Wood Markets” (November 2004);
“Down in the Woods,” The Economist (March 2006), www.economist.com;
Food and Agriculture Organization, Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005);
PricewaterhouseCooper, Global Forest and Paper Industry Survey (2005);
P. Siry, F.W. Cubbage, and M.R. Ahmed, “Sustainable Forest Management: Global Trends and Opportunities,” Forest Policy and Economics (v.7, 2005).