NEWS

FLASH
Exert from

On Greenpeace;

Environmentalist
Protest on the use
of Timber from
Illegal Loggers
Use of Timber from managed forests
PORTO, PORTUGAL

March 28

Activists from Greenpeace and Quercus

today have taken action to close the
main gate of Vicaima near Porto in
protest at the company's continued use
of timber from illegal and destructive
logging from the world's ancient
forests.

At 7am this morning 10 activists

blockaded the entrance to the main
Use of Timber from managed forests
A banner reading
'Stop illegal timber, buy FSC'
was hung across the entrance.
Use of Timber from managed forests

Vicaima is one of the largest timber

processors in Portugal and one of the
largest door manufacturers in Europe.

Vicaima products are sold in Spain, UK,

France and Germany and other European
countries.

The company owns and buys most of its

timber from one of the timber companies
due to purchase timber from them,
Use of Timber from managed forests

Greenpeace are demanding that Vicaima

immediately agree to halt any purchases
of timber from companies convicted of
illegal logging activities and obtain

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

to enable the company to trade timber

products that can be shown to come
from well-managed forests.
Use of Timber from managed forests

"If the trade in illegal timber is to be

stopped then companies like Vicaima
have to change their ways.

“There can be no excuse for

continuing to buy timber from illegal
and destructive logging in the world's
ancient forests",

said Andy Tait of Greenpeace UK.

Use of Timber from managed forests

Luis Galrao from Quercus said,

"As well as action from the Portuguese

Government its essential that
Portuguese timber companies also
take action to tackle the illegal timber
trade.

They can do this by buying

timber certified by the FSC".
Use of Timber from managed forests

At the end of 2004 Greenpeace asked a

number of Portuguese timber importers
to sign statements in support the
campaign for EU legislation to stop the
import of illegal timber.

Vicaima did not respond to

correspondence
Use of Timber from managed forests

Notes:

The Forest Stewardship Council

certification system for timber and timber
products provides an internationally
recognized, credible system to ensure
that wood is obtained from forests
managed to strong ecological and social
criteria.
Another exert from ;
In the early hours of this morning, Greenpeace
volunteers climbed to the top of Admiralty Arch
in the south-west corner of Trafalgar Square
where renovation work is currently being done
on the building.

Commuters and tourists were greeted by the

sight of a huge banner that read,

"Repeat offender!
Blair's trashed another
rainforest!"

while more volunteers attempted to remove

some of the offending material, namely
plywood containing hardwoods from the
rainforests of Papua New Guinea.
In addition, a representative from
Papua New Guinea, Sam Moko, will
personally deliver a piece of the
plywood to 10 Downing Street with a
demand for Tony Blair to stop fuelling
the destruction of his forest home.

Earlier this year, Brian Baring, another

landowner from Papua New Guinea,
toured Europe to ask ministers and
timber companies to

ban the trade in illegal timber that is dest

.
If this policy was strengthened and
enforced, it would have a massive effect on
the UK timber industry.

Central government buys up to 20 per cent

of all timber in the country and with the
broader public sector this climbs to around
40 percent.

So that's not just a few planks we're

talking about but large quantities of wood
going into public building projects and who
knows how much of that actually falls
The only thing that will stop the UK's
complicit involvement in rainforest
destruction is to ban all such illegal
timber imports and promote the use of
wood certified by the Forest
Stewardship Council.

The FSC
'tree tick'

logo is the only way to be sure that

wood comes from environmental and
socially responsible sources, not just
for garden furniture and other
household items, but wholesale timber
as well.
 What is the FSC
FSC is the Forest Stewardship Council’s prestigious

‘Chain of Custody’

Certification which promotes

responsible forestry and implements a
system that traces products back to
their forest of origin.

Certified companies are required to

monitor supply chain conditions and
integrate review procedures into their
production operations.
 What is the FSC
The FSC ’tick tree’
logo on the label is your
assurance that the product is made with, or
contains, wood that comes from FSC-
certified forests.

It enables consumers to choose wood-

based products with the confidence that
they are not contributing to the destruction
of the world's forests and, by buying from
certified sources, they are providing a
further incentive in the marketplace for
 History
Forests

The Earth was once

covered in ancient
forests.
 History
Home to around two-thirds of all
plant and animal species found on
land as well as millions of people
who depend on them for their
survival,

they still form some of the most

diverse ecosystems known to
science and are vitally important to
the health of our planet, especially
when it comes to regulating the
climate.
 History
But these ancient
forests are under threat.
A staggering 80 per cent have already
been either destroyed or degraded, and
half of that has been in the last 30 years.

Illegal and destructive logging, industrial-

scale farming and, increasingly, climate
change all threaten the remaining tracts
of forest that have stood for thousands of
 History
Countless species face extinction and
entire communities are being
displaced.

If current rates of deforestation

continue, some of the last areas of
lost
ancient forest could be

within our lifetimes,

but we believe this destruction can be
stopped.
FSC –
Ten
Click the links to see the top ten
You can buy wood products,
from all types of forest, with
a clear conscience
when you see the FSC logo.
FSC labelled products are
made with consideration for
people, wildlife and the
environment.
 The FSC label
guarantees that the
trees that are harvested
are replaced or allowed
to regenerate naturally.
Parts of the forest are
protected entirely, in
order to protect rare
animals and plants.
FSC protects the rights
of indigenous people to
use the forest.

If they have sacred sites

in the forest these are
exempt from felling.
The forest owner must use local
workers to run the forest, and
provide training, safety
equipment and a decent salary.

The forest owner is often

obliged to support the
community in other ways, such
as through the development of
schools.
FSC is a market-based
initiative which also
ensures better conditions
for the forest and the
people whose livelihoods
depend on it.
 FSC
gives an assurance that
future generations will be
able to enjoy the benefits of
the forest.
All the wood is tracked from
the forest to the store.

Every link between the

forest and the consumer is
certified to make it clearly
identifiable which wood is
FSC certified and which is
not.
 FSC is the only wood
certification scheme
endorsed by the major
environmental charities,
including;
WWF,
Friends of the Earth,
Greenpeace,
The Woodland Trust.
The FSC label is not only
available on wood for
furniture.
It can also be found on
floors, decking, paper,
printed matter, charcoal,
kitchen utensils, even
venison and footballs!
Did you
know ?
House builders have
capacity to build one
additional house per week
with exactly the same cost
and resources if they swap
to modern methods of
construction such as;
Timber Frame

(Source: National Audit

Office)
Did you
know ?
Snagging costs are reduced
by a third compared with
masonry homes,

because of the tighter

quality control of factory
produced components

(Source: National Audit

Office)
Did you
know ?
Timber frame systems are
particularly suited to
Brownfield sites with poor
soil conditions

(sites that favour lighter

buildings)

and sites with restricted

access
Did you
know ?
The co2 emissions from a
single timber frame three
bed detached home are
16.5% less than a brick and
block equivalent .

(Source: Edingburgh Centre

for Carbon Management)
Did you
know ?
You can achieve up to 86%
reduction in greenhouse
gases by increasing the
amount of timber specified
in buildings

(Source: Edingburgh Centre

for Carbon Management)