Timber-labelling scheme to encourage the achievement of tropical-forest sustainability

Abstract

The excessive greenhouse effect due to air-borne pollution, is of increasing concern, and the importance of reducing emissions to minimise the likelihood of further atmospheric degradation is recognised universally. One of the contributory phenomena, namely, the adverse influence of deforestation, is considered in this paper. Some of the tropical countries' timber exports should be decreased if sustainability of the diversity of timber species is to be ensured. To attempt to achieve this, a scheme is proposed which takes into account (i) deforestation (and the burning of timber, whether in situ in the forest or removed for later combustion elsewhere); (ii) the negative effects of population growth; and (iii) haulage distances from the country of the timber's origin to the UK, the latter resulting in the consumption of fossil fuels, which are themselve becoming increasingly scare resources. The devised multi-criteria assessment procedure, though only a crade first step, indicates which timber imports, from which countries, to the UK should be reduced or prohibited. This assessment should be updated annually. Implementation of analogous procedures by all the timber-importing countries would ensure the necessary reafforestation and encourage the sustainable management of forests worldwide.