Archived press release

Stop the Chop - new guide to buying wood without wrecking forests

8 January 2002

Wooden furniture and accessories look great in the home - but our taste in timber may be putting theworld's forests at risk.

Now a new guide is available to help the discerning shopper stop the chop, providing advice on how to find wooden products from sustainable sources, and what to look out for when you buy.

Wood is a natural, renewable material, making it preferable to environmentally-costly alternatives suchas steel or PVC. But bad forest management, high levels of timber waste and illegal logging mean thatthe world's forests are shrinking, endangering wildlife and communities, and putting more than 1,000tree species under threat.

The new edition of the Good Wood Guide, published by Friends of the Earth and Fauna & FloraInternational, provides expert advice on where to find reclaimed wood and wooden furniture - as wellas tips on finding Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood products which come fromsustainably managed forests.

Some 275,000 tonnes of timber is currently wasted as a result of furniture manufacture and other joinery- so choosing wooden products carefully can make a real difference. The Good Wood Guide alsoincludes a full list of species currently under threat, including details of where they are used.

Ed Matthew, Forest Campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:

"This new easy-to-use guide is a must-buy for the discerning shopper. By checking out where wooden products come from and insisting they are FSC-certified, we can make sure that having beautiful wooden things does not damage the forests - or destroy the wildlife that lives in them."

Dr Georgina Magin, Fauna & Flora International's Global Trees Officer, and author of the Good WoodGuide, said:

"We know the public cares about wildlife, but all too often they do not realise the damage buying wood can cause. Our current shopping habits are putting tree species under threat, but by using this guide, wood buyers can reduce the impact on the world's forests, and protect forest wildlife for future generations to enjoy."

Notes:

[1]The Good Wood Guide, written by Dr Georgina Magin and edited by Lesley Smeardon, ispublished by Friends of the Earth and Fauna & Flora International on 21 January 2002, priced7.50. To order copies, call Friends of the Earth on 020 7490 1555.

[2]For review copies and cover visuals contact Friends of the Earth's press office or see www.goodwoodguide.com

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust