i am from brasil and i do install woodfloors here in usa

what you the situation of the amozonia is out of control and they are devasting everything.

they sell sell all the brasilian teak,cherry,jatoba etc for a very low price out there.

i think there’s no other way anymore.

i think that’s too late cuz nobody will stop the organizations to keep killing the forest.

there are so many ways but that’s easyer for them to slave people and kill the forest out there for money.

the governement closed the eyes already.

when we do install brasilian floors in our costumers we tell the story from these floors in how people get’s this material and they don’t believe in tHAT.

I HOPE THEY FIND A WAY FOR THAT.

THE AMOZONIA IS THE PARADISE!

Interesting article, but I’d be a little cautious to check out all facts before making certain claims. Deforestation anywhere is both an ecological disaster waiting to happen, and the labor involved in performing the clearing can also have humanitarian and ethical implications. This is a worthy cause to have in people’s minds.

I would suggest that the industry start pushing bamboo for construction materials, its extremely fast in growing to maturity and is highly versatile in creating fiber board, fabrics, but the farming and cultivation still needs to be monitored for ethical management.

Thanks,

Robert
http://bambooyou.blogspot.com

One of the more controversial of FSC’s policies has been the ‘Mixed Sources’ policy, which allows manufactured products such as plywood, paper and furniture to be labeled as ‘FSC’ even though the amount of wood fibre from FSC-certified sources is actually as little as 10% of the total wood material in the product. With its ‘Controlled Wood Standard’, FSC has now opened its doors to almost any logging company wishing to launder its wood into FSC ‘Mixed Sources’ products, regardless of whether it is from illegal sources, stolen from indigenous lands, or cut from areas of forest being totally destroyed. Within the wood products industry FSC certification is simply considered a marketing tool which they pay a fee to the FSC for that makes their product seem green whether it is or not. The controls are simply not there. If you want FSC certification for your product, you simply have to pay for it.

A college of mine that is a botanist with a doctrine in biology who lives in Curitiba has spent the past 25 years monitoring the timber industry in Brazil. I believe if you were to come along on an expedition to the Amazon and actually see what it is you are talking about, you would gain a new and enlightened perspective on the issue. Brush up on your Portuguese and spend a month or so on the ground actually seeing the process and talking with the people at the plants. I have a number of friends in Brazil that I can get you in contact with if you truly wish to see.

The change that I truly believe would be most beneficial is if the variety of species offered from South America were equal and proportionate in their diversity to what exists in standing timber. Problems stem from loggers being given orders to fell only six different species rather than utilizing a much smaller percentage of perhaps a hundred different species that are equally well suited simply because they have not been marketed. You can travel many kilometers in the jungle passing dozens of other species before seeing one of the top six species that are recognizable to many here in the United States. Since fragmentation of wild forest can prevent regeneration, buy lesser common tropical woods which in many cases are even more beautiful than those which are more common. In other words don’t just eat the green M&M’s, the other colors are just as good. Through diversification you should be able to purchase and enjoy your tropical hardwood floor or furniture without worry of the green M&M’s going extinct. Have a good day

Thanks for stopping by.

The quote you cited from Greenpeace is accurate. Greenpeace also believes that the majority of Brazilian timber is not harvested properly.

Selective cutting is a great idea, and I am all for it. As long as it can be FSC certified, I have no problem with it.

Travel Brazil and visit these wood product manufacturing plants and you will see that the actions of a very few should not reflect poorly on the majority of companies for whom establishing sustainable foresting practices is critical to the ongoing success of their companies.

Conscientious and intelligent companies do not invest millions in facilities and machinery only to deplete their resources and put themselves out of business. Equally, proper companies which many are, do not use child or slave labor. To condemn all for the actions of a few is similar to Hitler trying to put all jews to death because some kid named Hiram stole his girlfriend as a youth.

The vast majority of clear cutting in Brazil is done for the sake of growing crops or raising cattle for export to China. As you fly over the country, the only clear cut areas you see are for crops or livestock ranges whereas the areas where timber is being harvested are still densely populated with mature trees. Most loggers tag a number of specific trees in a hectare which after being harvested will promote the growth among the smaller surrounding trees.

It is hard to invison this without seeing it but consider your lawn as a forest of little trees, pull out one blade of grass per every one hundred blades in one area then till up another area to plant a garden and see which you believe is more detrimental. I’m not against farming, but doing so in the middle of a rainforest, the lungs of our earth, doesn’t seem to be a good idea. Selective cutting in many studies has actually proven to be beneficial for the health of the forest. Most people do the same thing at their homes every year but call it pruning.

As Dr. Moore suggests, put value on these trees by buying products made from them. Make it economically advantageous for companies to care for the rainforest, otherwise they are sure to disappear. If you want to solve the problem, kill the wolf, not the shepherd that watches over the flock.

Nice of you to drop by and share your well-articulated opinions.

Yes, wood is a renewable resource. Forestry people tell me that parts of these de-forested areas in Brazil might grow back in a few centuries. Maybe you have better information on that than they do.

In the meantime, you might want to consider adorning your home with elephant tusks and rhino horns. I also hear that you can also purchase a very nice ashtray made from a the severed hand of a gorilla. If you don’t mind doing business with slavers, poachers shouldn’t bother you much, either.

As long as you are enjoying your floors, it’s fine by me. You certainly are touchy about them.

ps. We could not jump up your ass if we wanted to. It seems to be occluded by your head.

pps. The “caps lock” button is right above the left shift key.