Sustainable Wood Practices
Many companies in the wood industry now have policies in place regarding responsible environmental practices. Understandably, the public wants to know where you rate on the “green” scale of sustainability. When this movement really started to gain traction in the 1990’s, our industry mostly ignored it or pushed back. Unlike the forces lobbying for accountability our response was not united and we as an industry are still behind the curve, not in actual sustainability practices but in educating the public regarding how sustainable we are.
Our own policy is easy to understand. It is not couched in lofty platitudes or buzzwords.
- We work with partners that operate as business entities. We want our partners to be as vested in maintaining their sustainability reputation as we are.
- All imported woods are in brought into the US in compliance with Lacey Act provisions and have been harvested conforming to local and US laws
- All vendors agree to provide us with importation documentation upon request.
- If any information develops casting doubt on the legitimacy of a prior wood purchase, we require our suppliers to inform us immediately.
- Our wood manufacturing programs are in place to maximize the utilization of the resource. We buy high and low-grades of wood. Our goal is to leave only saw-dust and memories behind. Even the saw-dust is recycled. The memories live on in our Instagram feed.
Our wood sustainability policy:
In short, we do not want to do anything bad, wrong, illegal or immoral. We won’t work with anyone who does.
Lumber Companies Are Bad at Publicizing Sustainability
For reference, many industry veterans come from families who have built their legacy on sustainable forestry practices. This goes back generations.
I’m not suggesting they were prescient stalwarts of the modern environmental movement. Sustainability just made sense. It was not about chest thumping or press releases. If they scorched the earth and salted the barren land their days were numbered.
Accordingly, they are understandably upset when people disregard that reality. Sustainability is a lifestyle not a logo.
In terms of sustainability, we have an insurmountable advantage over almost every other consumer product on the planet. When a tree’s life cycle ends either through harvesting or natural causes, new trees grow in its place. This is true even if you…gasp…clear cut timber. This cycle is enforced by the laws of nature. It requires no legislation, human intervention, recycling centers, government regulation or tax subsidies.
Even if the felled tree is foolishly left on the ground to rot there are no resulting toxins or environmental externalities.
Compare this to the energy needed to make/recycle/dispose of steel beams, plastic, iron ore or concrete. Also, good luck getting any of those to reproduce organically.
How Does Walt Whitman Affect Sustainability Policy?
This brings me back to Walt Whitman. He recognized trees for the magnificent living organisms they were and are. He wrote about them fondly and sentimentally, in a way that readers still relate to.
People like trees and want to be around them. When a tree is no longer there it evokes a visceral response.
The public has no such fondness for steel or concrete. They serve their purpose quietly. Not much thought is given to how they exist before and after their use as building products.
Similarly, the public is not overly preoccupied with finding out who actually made their Che Guevara tee shirt, whether they were paid a living wage, etc. If their smartphone was made in factory where laborers are worked to the point of suicide, that’s not good but…meh.
An odd emotional line is crossed when trees enter into the equation.
Do People Like Trees?
My hometown city council was recently accosted by an angry mob of residents. This was due to the quiet removal of some diseased trees along a popular walking path. All kinds of people who had never delved into city issues previously were demanding answers, calling for inquiries and lashing out angrily at council members. In a rare moment of solidarity I actually felt bad for the council.
To put this in perspective, only a few years earlier our mayor was hauled off and arrested by the FBI. Citizens grumbled but the toppling of his pay-to-play empire did not generate near the heat of Tree-Gate 2016 as best as I recall.
People really like trees.
I’m not suggesting that nothing bad happens in our industry. It’s a business like any other. However, by any reasonable measure we have a very green business model.
Unfortunately, the public narrative is being monopolized by interests largely outside of our industry. Certainly, they have delivered their message more effectively than we have.
Our advocacy is too often directed back toward ourselves. What does that really accomplish? We need to reach beyond the echo chamber. The public deserves to be let in our trade secret.
Truth About Trees: Sustainability Explained
The Truth About Trees is an educational program established by the Hardwood Forest Foundation. It is an excellent resource that I encourage you to check out.
Further, they have produced a classroom kit designed to educate students on our Earth-friendliness. If you know teachers or administrators who would use the materials please contact the HFF to receive a free kit.
If your local school district would be appalled by the idea of introducing such industry-based propaganda into their curriculum, please order two kits. In short, these are the children we really need to reach.