In December 2010 a draft vision for an environmentally sustainable newspaper industry was floated for comment by the Newspaper Environmental Innovation Council (NEIC).
See how it would put our Boreal Forest pulp and paper Industry at risk.
COMMENT : January 2, 2011
The NEIC is intending to become environmental leaders by influencing the Newsprint manufacturers (our pulp and paper mills ) to produce a more environmentally sustainable product.
What's wrong with our forest management?
"Conservation: Management of the human use of the biosphere so that it may yield the greatest sustainable benefit to present generations while maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations, and includes the preservation, maintenance, sustainable utilization, restoration and enhancement of the environment." Glossary - page 5 FMPM (Forest Management Planning Manual)
The NEIC is planning on phasing out virgin wood fiber, and, the big kicker is: "Phasing out fiber from endangered and carbon-rich forests from the supply chain." Guess what the Environmental Non-Government Organizations (ENGOs) call our Canadian Boreal Forest? Carbon- rich forests may soon be a thing of the past as the disturbance dynamics of disease, insects devastation, fire and age begin to outweigh the tree growth sink of our Boreal forests and turn them into a carbon source.
The NEIC supports protecting high conservation value forests.
Guess what the ENGOs call our Canadian Boreal Forest?
"Modern Conservation theory incorporates the notion that what is to be conserved is not so much the physical state of an ecological system as the ecological process by which that state is created and maintained." Glossary - page 5 FMPM. To maintain a forest in a static condition is impossible. Trees will grow, climax and die.
The NEIC supports development of non-wood fiber newsprint.
Now where in the world are they going to get alternative fiber?
That's it. The WORLD. Not Canada, not the United States.
When the Paper Task Force of 1996 went looking for potential available non-wood fiber they found that while the annual production of Bone Dry Metric Tons for the U.S. was 284, the World had produced 2,526.4 BD Metric Tons.
Well, you may say, "We can start growing non-wood fiber."
The NEIC has that covered too. In their Appendix 1 : Agricultural Residues... "Agricultural residues are not from 'on purpose' crops that replace forest stands or food crops."
"Ensuring that no existing natural forests are converted to new plantations." NEIC states these plantations are the single species plantings on sites that originally supported many species. The NEIC definition for plantations also includes the herbicide treated sites. Yet if you read the FSC's number ten principle it states, "...plantations must contribute to reduce the pressures on and promote the restoration and conservation of natural forests." If we are to follow NEIC's reasoning would that make how we manage our forests turn them into plantations rather than managed woodlands? Is NEIC just playing with words to harass our Forest Industry?
NEIC gives management units a way out. "They will seek virgin fiber that is certified."
Hey, that should be a cinch. Canada has 146 million hectares of certified forest.
Hold the presses!
NEIC will only buy from 18% of those forests. They call it purchasing preference.
Why?
Because for NEIC and the ENGOs there can be only one certification system in the world. FSC.
According to Greenpeace Market Review, " It is the only certification system that has the support of large environmental groups around the world."
The Forest Stewardship Council was hatched out of Ontario around 1993 as "An international organization to monitor certification practices regarding sustainable harvesting of forest products." As soon as it fledged it took off for Oaxaca, Mexico, where it became a registered charity in Mexico, as FSC, A.C. (Association Civil) FSC also has headquarters in Bonn, Germany and the Greater Toronto Area. The first six years of of FSC's life was funded by a couple million dollars in grants scattered among the following: MacArthur Foundation, Surdna Foundation, Moriah Fund, Rockerfeller Brothers Fund, Pew Charitable Trust, Ford Foundation and the Wallace Global Fund.
FSC, A.C. Board, in Oaxaca, Mexico, has permanent seats for WWF (3 members), Greenpeace, the Natural Resources Defence Council, 3 or 4 FSC national initiative reps and staff.
What of the other certification designations? Canadian Standards Association (CSA) is by far the most popular for our forest management units with 55% of our certified forests, followed by SFI, Sustainable Forest Initiative, at 26%, being an Industry led scheme.
What of our Crown Forest Sustainability Act? An act of the Ontario Legislature to provide for the sustainability of Crown forests and, in accordance with that objective, to manage Crown forests to meet social, economic and environmental needs of present and future generations. Glossary - page 6 , FMPM.
The NEIC will support the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. That agreement will establish new protected areas for Endangered Woodland Caribou, (that's 2/3rd s of the Boreal Forest operating area), and implementation of world class sustainable harvesting in the tenures outside of caribou habitat.
What's wrong with our Sustainable Forest Management?
Sustainable Forest Management: The management of forest ecosystems to maintain a healthy forest ecosystem which provides a continuous, predictable flow of benefits. Indicators of forest sustainability criteria are Incorporated into strategic decision-making and into periodic assessments of both forest and socioeconomic conditions. Forest operations are conducted in a manner that conserves forest health and minimizes undesirable effects on the physical and social environment. Glossary - page 21 FMPM.
The NEIC will ensure that paper they buy does not originate from endangered species habitat. If they find that their paper does contain fiber from such habitat, they will engage their suppliers to cease operations in that area.
Take a look at the list of our Species At Risk for Ontario. Even if we get around the Woodland Caribou there are many, many more species of flora and fauna just waiting for their own conservation plans to be implemented.
There is some good news for forest workers. According to Paper Life Cycle: Recovered Fiber in Paper Products, "It is technically impossible to sustain society's long-term paper needs without fresh fiber...Without fresh fiber society would run out of paper in a year of less." From Metafore Inc., The Fibre Cycle Technical Document, 2006.
In 2006 Canada's fiber Input was around 55% Byproducts (wood chips, shavings and sawdust); about 23 % recycled paper; about 20 % trees. From Metafore Inc., 2006, FPAC, The Fiber Cycle.
In 2006 the John Heinz III Centre for Science, Economics and the Environment studied the Life Cycle of magazine production for Greenhouse Gas Emissions. They found that forest management and harvesting accounted for only 2% of the footprint. The rest of the emissions came from the Mill, Transportation, Printing and what they call the Final Fate of the product.
What will our "Final Fate" be?
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