Press release - March 28, 2007
On the heels of a dramatic report by Global Forest Watch Canada, Greenpeace today underlined the urgency of a moratorium on logging in all remaining intact areas of Ontario’s Boreal Forest. Citing the rapid loss of ancient forests documented in the report, Greenpeace said the time for government and corporate action is now.
"Our forests are being destroyed with an intensity that is
wiping out species and accelerating climate change," said Christy
Ferguson, a Greenpeace forests campaigner. "This report shows that
Ontario's forests simply cannot withstand the pressure the logging
industry is putting on them. If we don't take immediate measures to
save what's left, the opportunity will be lost."
The study, Recent Anthropogenic Changes within the Boreal
Forests of Ontario and Their Potential Impacts on Woodland Caribou,
used satellite imagery to examine human-caused changes in Ontario's
northern forests between 1989 and 2006. It details extensive
losses, and predicts that the woodland caribou could be unable to
survive in most of Ontario as a result. Clearcut logging and
logging roads were named as causing the most damage.
One area highlighted in the study is the 1.9 million hectare
Kenogami forest area near Thunder Bay, which is a major supply area
of pulp for Kleenex manufacturer Kimberly-Clark. Satellite imagery
shows that in just five years, 28.9% of the large intact forest
landscapes in the Kenogami were lost; and that thanks to damage
already done, the threatened woodland caribou could be driven out
of over 95% of the area.
"Companies like Kimberly-Clark are treating the Boreal Forest as
a source of cheap materials for disposable products, and ignoring
the fact that it's an ecosystem in crisis," continued Ferguson.
"Kimberly-Clark could help save the Boreal, but instead the company
is squandering it one Kleenex at a time."
Kimberly-Clark is the world's largest tissue product
manufacturer. It uses more than 3.1 million metric tonnes of virgin
tree pulp a year to make products like Kleenex brand facial
tissues. Greenpeace has been campaigning to get the company to help
save the Boreal Forest by using more recycled and Forest
Stewardship Council certified fiber since 2004. But Kimberly-Clark
has refused to stop using pulp from clearcuts like those in the
Kenogami Forest.
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For more information:
Christy Ferguson, Greenpeace forests campaigner,
416-451-9354
Kim Fry, Greenpeace forests campaigner, 647-406-0664