Forest-Friendly Products

Everyday, literally billions of dollars worth of forest and farm products move across the world's borders. Many of these products originate from illegal logging activities, unsustainable forest management, or poorly managed forests, or are agricultural commodities derived from deforestation. With only 5 percent of global population, the U.S. alone consumes over 25 percent of all wood and paper products leading to a substantial "forest footprint" on the rest of the world.

To help manage this appetite, NWF is:

• Producing an annual Garden Furniture Scorecard that ranks U.S. retailers on their commitment to sourcing outdoor wood furniture (typically tropical wood species) from certified and legal sources.
• Working directly with agricultural producers and buyers, and financial institutions that are financing projects which lead to deforestation, to encourage them to be partners in changing the legal and financial incentives that lead to rampant forest loss and conversion across the tropics.
• Helping lead the international Forest Stewardship Council, the most highly regarded forest certification system in the world. 
• Joining with leading forest and conservation groups to push for revisions in the Kyoto climate treaty that will pay as much to leave forests standing for their carbon sequestration value than to cut them down.