The Rainforest Action Network is embarked on a new campaign to drive old growth wood products out of the marketplace. The term “old growth” refers to products derived by logging any primary forests worldwide.
The campaign started during World Rainforest Week '97 (October 18-26) with demonstrations and other activities taking place in every state in the United States and in other countries. Its goal is to project the vision that the planet's remaining primary forests -that in fact occupy a very limited area- must no longer be viewed as resource extraction zones.
For RAN this campaign is also a vehicle to address the urgent need for wood consumption measures to be implemented broadly throughout society. Already some significant companies such as 3M and Kinko's have begun the process of phasing out old growth from their products and operations.
The Home Depot will feature prominently in the campaign. As the largest retailer selling old growth wood in the world, the public and wood professionals follow their actions very closely. The Home Depot has a long history of broken promises on tropical timber and other wood issues but continue to profess their commitment to environmental issues.
It is expected that the old growth campaign collaborates to demonstrate clear public disgust at the logging of old growth forests and the consequent need for certifiers to tread very carefully on the issue of primary forest certification.
Source. Rainforest Action Network. October 1997.