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Boise Cascade
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Australian
environment
groups are
calling on
Boise
Cascade to
end the use
of native
forest fibre in
its paper
products in
Australia

Australian Environment Groups' Position Regarding Forests

83National Forest Summit Communique, May 1996
84http://www.nfn.org.au/sfm/engo7.html

Background

In May 1996, The National Forest Summit, comprising all major national, state and regional conservation groups and including the Australian Conservation Foundation, Conservation Council of W.A., Environment Victoria, Friends of the Earth, Native Forest Network, Nature Conservation Council NSW, North East Forest Alliance and The Wilderness Society called on consumers and investors "Not to buy, sell, trade or invest in companies associated with the woodchipping of Australia's native forests"83. The goals of the National Forest Summit are to:

  • End the woodchipping of Australia's native forests
  • Protect all high conservation value forests
  • End the clearance of native forests for plantation establishment
  • Accelerate the transition of the timber industry into well-managed plantations

The National Forest Summit defines ecologically sustainable forest management as:

    To maintain and/or restore all species of flora and fauna in their natural patterns of distribution and abundance across their natural range84

85http://www.nfn.org.au/pressrel/alert18.html

Independent, third party certification of Forest management

The National Forest Summit supports the certification of plantation management under the guidelines laid down by the Forest Stewardship Council. It does not support the certification of native forest management at this stage and does not endorse the Australian Forestry Standard85.

Purchasing Policy Requirements for Boise Cascade Office Products

Australian environment groups are calling on Boise Cascade to end the use of native forest fibre in its paper products in Australia. The following is an outline of the requirements laid down by Australian environment groups for fibre content in paper distributed by Boise Cascade in Australia:

Boise Cascade in Australia is required to phase out the distribution of paper obtained from the following sources:

  • Endangered forests, forests of exceptional conservation value, or high conservation value forests;
  • Forests cleared for the establishment of plantations;
  • Native forest and plantation sources derived from Indigenous peoples' territories or illegally-sourced wood;
  • Native Forest and plantation sources derived from the habitat of endangered species;
  • Native Forest and plantation sources derived from contentious areas disputed by local communities and non-government organisations;
  • Plantations of genetically modified trees.

Boise Cascade in Australia should obtain its wood and paper fibre from the following sources:

  • The paper should have a recycled component (50% or more) with the recycled content coming from post consumer waste rather than pre consumer waste;
  • Remaining virgin fibre should be sourced from well-managed Australian plantations, certified under an independent, third party certification scheme to a standard meeting or exceeding that of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), or
  • Overseas plantations or native forests certified under an independent, third party certification scheme to a standard meeting or exceeding that of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and supported by local non-government organizations, or
  • Well-managed alternative crops such as bagasse and kenaf certified under ISO 14,000 or an equivalent management system.