Forest Club model projects and sites

Issue 11, Aug. 1999

As it is known, the purpose of the game is that one should run fast forward to his goal - a test-line, holding tightly an oval ball in his hands, while the whole team of opponents is trying to knock him down. In case the latter nevertheless happens, one should manage to pass the ball to another player, who is free at the moment, so that he will run just as fast forward and perform desirable touchdown.

As it turned out, the White house administration also plays this game with enthusiasm. The only difference is that a so-called FLA (Free Logging Agreement) serves as a test-line, where the oval ball has to be brought. FLA is an agreement on free timber logging, which provides liberalization of all tariffs in this industry on the whole planet scale. According to the basic idea of the "coaches" from American paper and timber lobby, this agreement should abolish restrictions on place, time and methods of timber logging, it should clear the way to world markets for the production of the US timber industry (which occupies the leading place in the world). At the same time it should abolish all regulative standards, provided by labor and environmental legislation of the certain countries. It is better to say, that it will sweep away all barriers on the way to profits increase for the timber corporations.

The first player, who was entrusted with an oval ball, was General Agreement on Tariffs and Taxes (GATT). However, an attempt to push FLA through at the Uruguayan session of this organization in 1995 ended in failure for Clinton's administration. A "pass" was given to Meeting on economic cooperation of countries of Asian-Pacific region (APEC); however, its forum, which took place in 1997, did not bring desirable points to Americans, as Japan considered unreasonable to contribute to prosperity of US timber industry at the expense of national producers. So, the ball, having covered several yards, ended up in strong hands of World Trade Organization (WTO), which seemed to be ready to carry it to a test-line without a backward glance

The only difference between "players" from XXXX and present football players is that they prefer to play at empty tribunes. Washington environmental organization "Alliance of American Acres" is quite right to call the method of pushing this agreement through "undemocratic and environmentally irresponsible", due to the fact, that they try not to admit environmentalists to participation in negotiations on FLA. Of course, when such generous prize money are promised for winning the game, there is no use in paying attention to disturbing yellow kerchiefs of democracy.

Unsustainable development

It is obvious, that liberalization of all restrictions on timber logging will lead to increase of customer demand and, as a consequent, rapid growth of felling volumes. This means, that forests remain unprotected facing felling machinery. Consequences of this decision can turn out to be rather sad.

Existing practice of logging results in, for example, that almost two thousand hectares of tropical rainforests, which are rightly called "lungs of the planet" are eliminated hourly. According to the Central bank of Chile, if this practice remains, then all forests of Chile, composing one third of all existing rainforests, will be eliminated during next twenty years

Danger also threatens old-growth forests, which occupy 2 % of all forested areas in the USA, and 1% in the Western Australia. And remaining forests can hardly "sleep calmly". According to the data of World Resource Institute, half of forest cover of our planet has been lost by nowadays. The report of UN Food and Agriculture Organization states that over 200 million hectares of forests were cut down only during a period from 1980 to 1995. In comparison, is the same area as the area of such a country as Mexico (its total area is 198 million hectares).

The most threatening fact is that the agreement, probably, stipulates restrictions to so-called environmental non-tariff measures under the threat of World Trade Organization sanctions. This can destroy the system of international certification of timber products.

Certification became one of the main form of protection of forests and their inhabitants. Thus, one of the most popular world system of certification - FSC not only attests timber quality and all timber operations, but also it certifies that logger's activity do not contribute to reduction of biodiversity and deforestation. Nowadays, most of timber products consumers refuse to buy certificateless timber, whereas municipal authority of Los-Angeles and New York are going to put a ban on usage of such timber in municipal services. If notorious FLA is accepted, such bans can cost a lot to its initiators. American trade official Don Philips exclaims at the fact that environmental organizations show their anxiety too early. However, if FLA will be put through at the session of WTO in Seattle at the end of November - beginning of December this year, it will be too late to be anxious.

Parasites of all countries, unite!

While American paper-industry lobby tries to increase its profits, parasitizing on economic difficulties of Asian countries rich in forests, their "ideological congeners" - agricultural parasites together with weeds, fungi and nasty organisms are ready to conquer the world. The fact is that raw timber is an ideal transport for pathogenic microorganisms, and the threat of their vast expansion increases with increase in timber sales (such an increase is unavoidable in case of FLA acceptance). It seemed reasonable to tighten phytosanitary control. However, in practice the things are quite the opposite.

For example, at present the US Ministry of Agriculture , which is responsible for phytosanitary safety, make certain demands towards importers of timber. These demands are aimed at reducing risk of dissemination of pathogenic microorganisms even in case they are not revealed by the ministerial officials in time. These measures are defensible: amount of scientific data on pests, fungi and parasites ( as well as on their impact on ecosystems where they are brought into) is extremely small. Consequently, even the closest examination of a load cannot give exact answer whether it contains certain specimen of flora and fauna. However, soon American agricultural inspectors can turn forced to comply with "presumption of innocence" towards timber importers, as Agreement on application of sanitary and phytosanitary service (SPS), which is a part of FLA will force governmental bodies of all countries - members of WTO to refuse preventive safety measures (which are also referred to non-tariff restrictions) again under the threat of economic sanctions.

There is a feeling, that representatives the American paper and timber industrial lobby perceive forests of the planet only as future logs, which grew only in order to make profits. They seemed even not guessing that forests can protect soils from erosion, prevent global warming, serve as a source of fire-wood, food and habitat for indigenous peoples and tourism and leisure objects. In this connection, we want to ask these sirs, who push their desirable FLA with persistence and unceremoniousness of a bulldozer, one simple question: "If they win, what they are going to make paper of for other agreements in twenty-thirty years?" By that time there can be no forests left.