Tracking Legal Timber from the Tropics

摘要

In a series of WoodenBoat columns I wrote in the 1980s, I discussed some of the problems facing tropical forests: land clearing for agriculture or other development, unsustainable logging (especially by large concessionaires), and widespread uncontrolled fires in places like Borneo. At that time, Rainforest Action Network (RAN) and some other environmental organizations were advocating boycotts on all imported tropical woods (see Wood Technology, WB No. 94), while my position and that of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) was a more nuanced, complex approach involving education, political action, and the establishment of small-scale, model forest manage- ment systems appropriate to individual countries (see WB No. 90). Fortunately, the latter approaches have prevailed, and for the most part they have met with success. The non-governmental organization (NGO) that I have been involved with, GreenWood has been successfully operating in Honduras for over 20 years.