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Most of the wood species that have been classified as endangered are from the bands of rainforests that gird the tropical latitudes of the globe. These are the earth's "lungs" where much of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is captured by the trees and exchanged for oxygen. The trees in temperate, arctic, and Antarctic zones are nowhere near as effective in cleansing the atmosphere of this "greenhouse gas." If the rainforests are allowed to die, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the planet-wide warming it causes will grow at an even faster rate than it is now. The climate in other zones will warm and rainfall patterns will change, stressing the forests elsewhere on the earth. There is much evidence that this is already happening. More wood species will become endangered and go extinct. The end result is that craftsmen will have less wood and fewer choices. Woodworking will die along with the forests.
The rainforests are suffering because they have been overused and mismanaged. Many are clear-cut and never regenerate. If you work with endangered rainforest species and you are sensitive to these environmental concerns, purchase them from an ecologically-aware supplier who respect the sensitive environments of th wood they sell. These suppliers will have a "Chain-of-Custody Certification" or "Smartwood Certification" to prove they purchase their lumber from loggers and sawyers who adhere to responsible environmental practices. You can get a list of certified wood products and companies from:
Rainforest Alliance Beware of lumber companies who claim good environmental practices in their advertising and other literature, but don't back it up with certification. This so-called "greenwash" is becoming more prevalent as consumers become ecologically savvy and suppliers feel they can't afford the effort or expense required to become ecologically responsible. Copyright © 2009 Bookworks, Inc. |
