Plantations

Like any other agricultural staple, many tree species can be efficiently produced as a crop in monocultures or near-monocultures. Unlike most agriculture crops such as corn or wheat, however, tree plantations are quite often subject to controversy and stereotyping, both negative and positive.

Forest activists and environmentalists tend to be deeply critical of the common industry practice of clear cutting and replanting, arguing that it is environmentally destructive to replace an ecologically and biologically diverse natural forest with a single, fast-growing commercial tree species. Industry players are likely to emphasize the efficiency of tree farming, arguing that it is the most cost-effective way to produce wood fiber for the benefit of society.

As might be expected, both positions have inherent merit, and both tend to trivialize the other side of the issue. The truth is that tree farming is not inherently good or bad; everything depends on the specifics of how a given tree plantation is established and managed over time, and the larger context in which tree farming takes place. Tree plantations can divert pressure from natural forest, or they can displace natural forest. One can imagine a worst-case scenario in which a natural, diverse, old-growth forest is clear cut and replaced with a monoculture of non-native, genetically-modified (GMO) trees that are then sustained with extensive artificial fertilizers, pesticides, and insecticides, driving down soil fertility and poisoning local waterways. Alternatively, one could paint a best-case scenario in which an appropriate mix of native tree species is established plantation-style on land that had previously been cleared for other uses (this is called afforestation) and natural techniques are used to build up soil fertility and control pests.

Of course, most tree farms are likely to fall somewhere between these extremes. What is the minimum standard of social and environmental responsibility for such plantations? Credible forest certification systems set standards for well-managed plantations as well as well-managed natural forests.  Click here for more information on forest certification.

Our policy on sourcing wood from plantations (and on utilizing our Eco icon and the Plantation icon) is that we will not buy from plantations that were established at the expense of natural forest in the last 25 years, nor will we utilize GMO wood. Also, unless the plantation is already FSC certified, we will have visited the plantation we are sourcing from and determined that it is reasonably well-managed before stamping those products Eco.