Feature story - September 2, 2008
In a move to calm critics of its controversial logging operations, Canada's largest logging company announced its intention to seek Forest Stewardship Council certification for roughly 10 per cent of its forestlands.
AbitibiBowater's forest products.
AbitibiBowater's move comes after increasing pressure from their corporate customers, Greenpeace and other environmental organizations. To date, the company has not acted to protect ecologically important intact forest areas or significant woodland caribou habitat.
"AbitibiBowater is not a leader in sustainable forest management when it only certifies three of the company's thirty-plus operations in Canada," said Richard Brooks, forest campaign coordinator with Greenpeace. "It's a step in the right direction, but intact forest protection must go hand in hand with complete FSC certification of all operations and product lines."
The company has already lost several million dollars in contracts and business with customers who have expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of change at the company. In the past, companies have sought certification for a small number of products or forests in order to paint themselves as 'green' companies.
"I do not believe that AbitibiBowater is responding to their customers with this announcement, "added Brooks. "They want complete FSC certification and substantive action on protecting intact forests."
Less than 35 per cent of AbitibiBowater's forestlands remain intact. Intact forests are key habitats for endangered species such as woodland caribou and help mitigate the impacts of climate change by storing more carbon than fragmented forests. In the vast majority of AbitibiBowater's tenures the status quo will continue to prevail - destruction of species habitat, damage to ecologically important old forests, and intensive clearcutting.
For more than a year Greenpeace has asked AbitibiBowater to set aside intact forest areas from logging operations and take action to protect endangered species.
The Forest Stewardship Council is the gold standard for forestry certification worldwide and supported by most major environmental organizations. It is awarded to logging operations which practice responsible forest management or to product lines coming from responsibly managed forests.
For more information, please contact:
Richard Brooks, Forest Campaign Coordinator, 416-573-7209