Advocacy Position: Sustainability

I.  SUSTAINING PRIVATE WORKING FORESTS

Sustaining private working forests should be a national priority. Private working forests are a fundamental part of the basic infrastructure of our nation, producing renewable, recyclable and reusable wood and paper products society wants and needs, absorbing and storing carbon, producing clean water and air, sustaining vital plants and wildlife, providing quality recreation experiences, and supplying a growing source of renewable energy.

The continued existence and use of natural resources will help sustain private working forest landscapes, providing environmental, economic and social benefits essential to meeting the needs of current and future generations. Sustaining these forests should be a national priority.

Government policies should promote sustaining private working forests. Sustaining the environmental, social, and economic benefits of responsibly managed forests will occur only if governmental policies are aligned with the fundamental economics of forest ownership. Governmental policies must be scientifically based and developed through transparent and inclusive processes. Government policies should recognize the important role played by a healthy, domestic forest products manufacturing base, which enables forest owners to continue to meet their ecological, economic and social responsibilities.

NAFO’s members are committed to sustaining ecological, economic and social values over the long term by acting responsibly to assure an abundance of healthy and productive forest resources for present and future generations.

II. SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT

Sustainable private forest management meets important present and future needs:  Sustainable private forest management is the practice of integrating over the long-term the management of trees for useful products on a renewable and recurring basis with the conservation of soil, air and water quality, wildlife and fish habitat across the landscape while providing long-term benefits to the communities near which these forests are located.

Private forest landowners demonstrate sustainable forest management through a variety of established methods: Private forest landowners are diverse, and demonstrate sustainable forest management in a variety of ways. These include reforestation of harvested sites to maintain the forest cycle, using “best management practices” (BMPs) defined through voluntary and regulatory state forestry programs and forest certification standards, supporting training and outreach programs for loggers and family forest owners, using consulting foresters and other natural resource professionals, and supporting research and technology development on sustainable forest management.

Private forest owners verify their commitment to sustainable forest management through forest certification and other means: Private forest landowners verify their adherence to sustainable forest management principles in many ways, including compliance with state and federal laws and BMPs; cooperative agreements with government agencies, conservation organizations, and multi-stakeholder partnerships; and transparent data collection and reporting. Forest certification is an especially important method.  Credible forest certification systems are designed to integrate social, environmental, and economic performance, verified through independent, third-party auditing and communicated through a brand or label on products. Several credible forest certification programs are available in the marketplace.

III. SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN CLIMATE AND RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICY

Private working forests and forest products can help mitigate climate change: Private forests and forest products are a fundamental part of the solution to two significant national issues: the need to address climate change and the need to produce clean, renewable sources of energy.

According to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released in 2007:

“In the long term, a sustainable forest management strategy aimed at maintaining or increasing forest carbon stocks, while producing an annual sustained yield of timber, fiber, or energy from the forest, will generate the largest sustained mitigation benefit.”

Private working forests and the forest products they produce help mitigate climate change by:

• Storing carbon in our sustainably managed forests;
• Storing carbon in long-lived forest products;
• Providing customers with forest products they can substitute for more energy-intensive products, such as concrete and steel in buildings; and
• Providing cellulose-based fuels as a substitute for fossil fuels to generate electricity, in thermal applications, and to power vehicles.

Private working forests are a source of clean, renewable energy. Wood has always been the world’s most important source of bio-based energy. The wood from private working forests already provides the majority of the power used by forest products manufacturers in the U.S., some of whom sell excess energy into the grid and sell renewable energy credits into the marketplace. Scientists are exploring ways to dramatically increase the efficiency of wood and other sources of cellulose as sources of energy and liquid transportation fuel. These “second generation” fuels may come from trees or other plants, forest residuals (i.e., tops, branches, and stumps of trees and small trees from early thinnings), or byproducts of manufacturing (i.e., sawdust, bark, chips, and dissolved wood retrieved from the paper-making process).

Government mandates or incentives requiring sustainability should consider all appropriate aspects of sustainable forest management: Government renewable energy and climate change mandates or incentives including provisions addressing sustainability should:

• Recognize that private working forests are a fundamental part of the solution.
• Promote working forests through economic and policy incentives.
• Approach sustainability consistently across industry sectors and among renewable energy sources.
• Utilize established methods of demonstrating sustainable forest management.
• Recognize all credible certification programs as effective, but not exclusive, methods of validating sustainable forest management.
• Recognize the mitigation benefits of private working forests, including carbon sequestration, product storage and substitution.
• Contribute to maintaining the regional capability and productivity of the fiber resource over the long term.
• Support a diversity of market options for the use of raw materials.
• Address only those potential land use impacts under the direct control of the landowner that can be monitored and accurately measured.
• Allow for inevitable changes in land use caused by the needs of a growing population.
• Approach the sustainability of carbon offsets through measurement and/or modeling of the pertinent pools addressed in carbon projects.