FSC-Watch

Banned chemicals used in FSC-certified nurseries in UruguayTags: Uruguay, Pesticides, Plantations, SGS Qualifor

RAP-AL Uruguay recently published a report on "Working conditions and agrochemical use in Eufores (Ence) and FOSA (Botnia) nurseries". Both of these operations are FSC-certified. The report, written by María Isabel Cárcamo, is based on research carried out at the nurseries.

The full report (in Spanish) is available here. RAP-AL is The Latin American Network of Action on Pesticides and their Alternatives (La Red de Acción en Plaguicidas y sus Alternativas de América Latina)...[Continue]

SmartWood's certification of TemRex criticisedTags: Canada, Corrective Action Requests, Hoped-for improvements, Rainforest Alliance SmartWood

Last month, SmartWood awarded an FSC certificate to TemRex's industrial logging operations in Quebec, Canada. The certificate came with 26 outstanding "corrective action requests" (with which the company has to comply at some point in the future), 20 "observations" (which are voluntary) and 10 "notes for future auditors".

FSC-watch received this from Bob Eichenberger with the subject line "bullshit in Gaspésie":

To all good foresters

The Forest Stewardship Council was a great idea and carried a lot of hope to anyone who read through the ten principles concerning the integrity of the forest ecosystems, the rights of rural and native peoples, biodiversity and so on...[Continue]

British Columbia: "FSC certification is a fraudulent scam"Tags: Canada, High Conservation Value Forests

This comes from Earthtreenews, 27 September 2007:

British Columbia

FSC Certification is a fraudulent scam to allow people to continue marketing old growth forests around the world. Here in Clayoquot Sound, the whine of chainsaws and the falling of giant trees starts at daylight, even on Sundays, as people watch bears from tour boats in Fortune Channel of Clayoquot Sound. When camping there recently, the howls of wolves during the night and the sight of mother bears with twin cubs playing on the beaches near where the logging is taking place is a shocking reminder that it is business as usual here...[Continue]

OECD: timber certification sets bad example for biofuels. FSC also under attack from Australia, Finland, Canada, US?Tags: Worldwide, Biofuels

A new report for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has cast serious doubts about the prospects for certification of biofuels, pointing to the failures of timber certification. The report, entitled 'Biofuels: Is the Cure Worse than the Disease' (available for download below), was presented to the OECD's Round Table on Sustainable Development in Paris in September. It warns that timber certification has failed after many years to come up with credible Chain of Custody systems. The report also point out that certification doesn't necessarily help to address the underlying problems of either non-sustainable timber or biofuel production because the problem simply gets displaced elsewhere...[Continue]

SCS certification of Jurua Forestal, Brazil: FSC plumbs new depths of bad practiceTags: Brazil, Accreditation controls, Certifier conflict of interest, SCS

To some people, such as Mayor Salvatore Perillo of Ocean City, New Jersey, USA, the FSC represents the 'Gold Standard' of forest certification; an assurance that wood comes from well-managed and properly independently audited sources. But Mayor Perillo, and many others, would do well to know what lies behind the FSC's claims. One of the more shocking examples - Jurua Forestal Ltda, which is felling timber in the Brazilian rainforest - is a potential supplier of ipe timber for the imminent repair of Perillo's Ocean City sea-front boardwalks.

Jurua Forestal was first certified for FSC by the California-based Scientific Certification Systems Inc in April 2002...[Continue]

The people or the paper industry?Tags: South Africa, Plantations

Press release from Geasphere, South Africa:

21 September, 2007

The Constitution says we are all entitled to water, and when the choice becomes necessary, who does the forestry industry think will win - the people or the paper industry?" Simon Evered, White River

Today, on the International Day against Monoculture Tree Plantations - we appeal to the delegates of the current Stellenbosch 'FSC plantations certification symposium' NOT to endorse and promote the high impact monoculture plantation model through FSC certification...[Continue]

Veracel certification would be yet another disaster for FSCTags: Brazil, Plantations, SGS Qualifor

Press release from World Rainforest Movement, 17 September 2007:

FSC at a crossroad: Veracel timber certification would be yet another disaster for FSC

The wood-pulp producing company Veracel has applied for FSC certification of its tree plantations in the Brazilian state of Bahia and the evaluation process is being carried out by the international certification firm SGS (Société Générale de Surveillance). Veracel, a joint venture between Swedish-Finnish Stora Enso and Norwegian-Brazilian Aracruz Cellulose exports almost all the pulp produced in Brazil to overseas markets, where it is converted into paper...[Continue]

What, exactly, is FSC's position on GM trees?Tags: GMOs

"Use of genetically modified organisms shall be prohibited," states Criterion 6.8 of FSC's Principles and Criteria. That appears to be clear. Strictly interpreted this would mean that a company carrying out laboratory research into GE trees (and/or financing such research) should not be certified under the FSC system, because that would involve the use of genetically modified organisms. Unfortunately, but perhaps not surprisingly, FSC's Certification Bodies (assessors) don't take such a strict interpretation of criterion 6.8...[Continue]

FSC-certified plantations suck Sudwala caves dryTags: South Africa, Plantations

Philip Owen of Geasphere in South Africa circulated this statement and article about the impacts of Sappi's FSC-certified plantations on the water flow in the Sudwala Caves.

Here's what Sappi's plantations look like - it's difficult to imagine that anything could be more of a monoculture:

Dear FSC Stakeholders

With the International Symposium on Plantation certification to be held in Stellenboch, South Africa later this month I would like to direct your attention to the following matter...[Continue]

Zurich fails to specify FSC - does this mean Raubbau?Tags: Switzerland, Hungary, WWF, Procurement policies

Last week, an interesting article appeared in the Swiss newspaper, the Tagesanzeiger. FC Zurich has just opened a new stadium, called the Letzigrund. The city promised an ecological stadium, but the wood used is not FSC certified. WWF claims that without an FSC certificate, there is no guarantee that the wood doesn't come from destructive operations ("Raubbau" in German).

The wood used is Robinia pseudoacacia from Hungary. Gerriet Harms, the owner of the firm that supplied the wood, denies that the wood comes from Raubbau and argues that it's better to use "controlled" hardwood from Central Europe than to use FSC-certified tropical hardwood...[Continue]