Contributed by Claudia Beck.

What does “sustainable forestry initiatives” actually imply? To someone hearing this phrase for the first time, it could sound rather intimidating, but when you break it down and understand it more clearly you realise it’s actually a really powerful, forward-thinking concept that could very well save the world.

A big call for three little words pieced together.

Forests and their resources supply timber, food, fuel, and other necessities. Forests cover approximately 30% of our planet—a lot less than they used to. Sustainable forestry initiatives seek to insure their proper maintenance and protection.

What is a sustainable forest?

A sustainable forest is a large allocated area of forest that  organizations, communities, and governments monitor and govern to keep them healthy, full and sustained. As our world population increasesour world-wide resources will only continue to diminish without proper care, including all the valuable resources we gain from our forests. And so sustainable forestry initiatives have become a very important part of planning for our future.

Not only do forests provide resources or human society, they also provides homes to mother nature and our beautiful wildlife. Our forests take on a huge role of helping to stabilize out climate.They help balance out the carbon dioxide and fossil fuel emissions we produce every day. The forests also provide us with cool clean water among so many other necessary supplies.

Without sustainable forests, the world would not be able to survive much longer. And for this reason supporting organisations and communitiesmake and enforce rules and regulations to make sure harvesters rapidly replace what they cut down. These procedures keep the forests running smoothly and sustainably.

What are sustainable forestry initiatives?

A sustainable forestry initiative makes sure that within each allocated area of sustainable forest, only a certain number of trees can be harvested at a time.  This limitation allows all the newly planted tress a chance to grow in their place.

In this way, harvesting trees does  not greatly interrupt the nature and flow of these forests. Wildlife and water can continue to flourish in all the newly-planted parts of the forest. That, in turn, means deforestation does not affect our eco-system and means of healthy breathing.

Slowly, governments have begun to enact laws to require that companies extracting forest resources from our worldwide forests use resources found ONLY sustainably managed forests. These laws ensure 100% compliance with sustainable forestry initiatives. Such legislation not only allows forests to sustain themselves while being harvested. More and more companies have adopted sustainability principles. Using sustainable forests enables them to meet them and save the planet one sustainably harvested tree at a time.

World wide initiatives saving the planet!

As the need for sustainable forestry initiatives grows, organisations like the Forest Stewardship Council, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Rainforest Allianceare working world wide to make sure that our forests, wildlife and planet is kept from being completely destroyed.

These organisations are generally not-for-profit corporations, run by people determined to make a difference in a sustainable way. Most of these organisations will work alongside communities to make sure the locals can make a livingfrom the forests using sustainable practices.

The Forest Stewardship Council, a US based company with an international reach, was established in 1993. Its certification upholds one of the highest of standards in sustainable forestry for worldwide trade. The Sierra Club and other large environmental advocacy groups support its system.

The Natural Resources Defense Council or NRDC “use data and science to unearth the root causes of the problems that confront us. We use that information to blueprint transformative solutions, and we mobilize the support of partners, members, and activists to advocate for laws and policies that will protect our environment far into the future.” 

The Rainforest Alliance and other organisations focus on building strong relationships with local and worldwide communities in order to achieve impactful results through collaboration.

Sustainable forestry initiatives around the world constantly advocate for our future generations. They enable all nations the chance to contribute to the continuation of a healthy planet. And not just at the level of government and industry. Ordinary individuals and households can participate in creating—and purchasing– sustainable products. They give everyone the opportunity to contribute to the safety and continuation of our future.

Sustainable forestry initiatives are growing. The movement has no plans of slowing. While they have not achieved perfection, they have already made an undeniably positive impact on our worldwide forests and their sustainable future.

Claudia Beck is a Perth interior designer and writer with a passion for sustainable living and design.