Tree bien

SF rejects a call for "eco-friendly" logging in the tropical rainforests

By Matthew Hirsch

Late last month the San Francisco Environment Department announced it would not push to weaken the city's 15-year-old ban on purchasing tropical hardwood, despite calls from some green groups to do just that. The decision was seen as a victory for local activists who oppose any logging in the endangered tropical rainforests.

Purchasing tropical hardwood "is not critical for the city," said Mark Palmer, the city's green building program manager, in an e-mail announcing the decision. For outdoor construction projects for which tropical hardwood was being considered – such as piers, for which environmentalists have criticized the use of wood soaked in arsenic or other toxic preservatives – Palmer said the city will turn to other green building materials.

Two environmental groups, Greenpeace and Rainforest Action Network, had OK'd the use of tropical hardwood that's certified by the international Forest Stewardship Council. But others railed against the FSC label, criticizing the very notion that logging could help preserve tropical rainforests (see "Between a Rock and a Hardwood," 5/25/05).

"Given the state of the world's forests, and our local forests, the goal should be reducing forest products in construction and eliminating the use of wood from primary forests and critical watersheds. There are many other alternatives, such as used wood and bamboo," said Mary Bull, of the Greenwood Earth Alliance.

Bull said she would now advocate for these alternatives, noting that the Environment Department still supports using FSC-certified lumber and plywood. E-mail Matthew Hirsch at matthew@sfbg.com.