By Jeff Waldon, Tropical Forest Foundation
So where did that beautiful flooring come from? Most of us would answer that it came from the store, just like milk comes from the cooler at the grocery store and gasoline comes from the pumps at the corner gas station. But as with most of the things we use, the story goes back much further, and with flooring it might stretch halfway around the world. The flooring that comes from the tropical forests around the world has a story that connects us all, because these same forests also represent an important part of the biodiversity of the planet and an important regulator of climate.

The wood that goes into flooring is also an important source of economic support for countries where it’s harvested legally. Where it’s harvested illegally, it can be a source of funding for illegal activities, oppressive governments and does little to address the needs of the local people that use the forests as a source of income for their families and communities. And worse, illegal harvesting is almost always done to maximize short-term profits with no concern for long-term sustainability.

So what have flooring companies done to ensure the source of their products from tropical forests are both legal and sustainably harvested? Many have partnered with the Tropical Forest Foundation, an organization started by a coalition of the tropical timber industry, conservation and academic leaders to work on reduced-impact logging and chain-of-custody, a process of confirming legality from the forest to the factory where the wood products are made. Reduced-impact logging is a widely accepted set of practices that ensure timber cutting is done sustainably through good planning, minimizing disturbance to the forest stand and its wildlife inhabitants, and minimizing damage to non-target trees. These companies have made a commitment to making sure their products don’t contribute to illegal activities in these countries and don’t contribute to deforestation in the tropics. Producers of tropical woods are being evaluated right now, and eventually these companies will provide a mark on their products to communicate to retailers and customers that their products were harvested legally and sustainably.

The Tropical Forest Foundation (www.tropicalforestfoundation.org) was established to conserve tropical forests through sustainable forestry. TFF has become widely recognized for establishing demonstration models and training schools to show the advantages and teach the principles of sustainable forest management and reduced-impact logging. The foundation has established training programs in Indonesia, Brazil, Guyana and the Congo Basin to address the four major regions of tropical timber production around the world. It has partnered with companies, governments and conservation organizations to bring these communities together around the idea that tropical forests can continue to provide an economic boost to developing nations while protecting the functions of the forest that are important for future generations.