Tong Tana - Bruno Manser Fonds

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Switzerland – speaking of wood – with disdain! rg – The SHIV (Schweizerischer Sägereiund Holzindustrie-Verband, the Swiss association of sawmills and wood manufacturers) and the WVS (Waldwirtschaft Verband Schweiz, the Swiss forestry association) have published their annual reports of 1998. The reports are full of all kinds of snide remarks. The WVS states that the issue of labelling according to origin has been resolved by the Q- label propagated by the WVS, 85% of the wood having to be from Swiss forests. We then asked ourselves: what about the remaining 15% and what about foreign wood which ... priori cannot receive a Q-label Three years ago the same circles were fighting against the so-called discrimination of wood by a mandatory declaration. And now this should not be the case anymore with a onesided declaration of wood which is 85% worthy of getting a Q-label rg – Emil Mosimann, president of the SHIV, formulated his “realistic demands” for the favourable development of basic conditions for the wood manufacturing industry in the association’s annual report. Apart from fair transport conditions, research capacity at universities, a good presence at the Expo 2001 and “hopefully” at Sion 2006, he called for “fair certifying partners (a. o. WWF, Pro Natura, Greenpeace, BMF, etc. – the Ed.) who are primarily interested in the actual state of the forest and forestry, not in selling labels.” The gentlemen responsible for the policies of the association never tire in repeating the same phrases about the eco-product wood over and over again like a mantra and at the same time shooting verbally at its potential partners. As long as such gentlemen do not disappear from the stage the goodwill of a wide range of consumers can (unfortunately) hardly be strengthened towards using native wood. rg – The newspaper “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” dated June 8, 1999, printed a supplement on the subject of paper manufacturing. Under the title “The forest and paper – widespread misunderstandings due to bad information” the CEO of the paper factory Biberist AG, Jürg Müller, could contribute his personal truths. Müller formulated statements such as, “Whereas in some countries outside Europe more wood is cut than can grow back in the same time span, the world’s forest land is increasing” or “There is no global lack of wood, on the contrary, in order to keep the forests in balance more wood has to be felled”. Furthermore, “It does not make sense to forbid the renewal of a forest under the pretext of wanting to save forests. It is just as misleading to leave forests in their original state without considering the economical difficulties of the owners of the forests; environmental protection should show consideration for the economy.” The fact that the latter point stated by Müller is still a common one at the end of the 20 th century seems to be clear. The assumption that economy has priority over environmental protection does not really show competence in someone who feels entitled to write about “widespread misunderstandings due to bad information on paper and the forest”. rg – The carpenters’ journal “Schreinerzeitung” dated March 25, 1999, published its views on the calls for the boycott of tropical wood under the title “The use of tropical wood: the facts”. According to the opinion of the “Schreinerzeitung”, such renunciations point in the wrong direction when measured against the main reasons for the destruction of the tropical forests – mismanagement and social ills in the tropical wood producing countries. Alleviation can only be achieved through development aid in those areas under the condition that the aid be used for the given purpose and not disappear into the pockets of corrupt government officials! That the wood industry is interwoven with the interests of a privileged class of politicians, that the land rights of local peoples are disregarded and that corruption is daily fare, are, unfortunately, all facts. The “Schreinerzeitung” indirectly confirms these facts – it just sees the use of development money as the problem... 14
The import of tropical wood db – A rough estimate made by the BMF of tropical wood imports into Switzerland during the past year amounts to a minimum total of 20 311 tons worth 42 million SF. This includes logs, sawn wood, plywood and products which can be identified as made out of tropical wood. Swiss customs statistics unfortunately do neither deliver any information on the type of wood used in partly finished and finished products nor on products imported into Switzerland over a third country; the imports would therefore be even higher. The miracle of Kleinlützel – this beech tree should have died but didn’t! Fireproof doors made of tropical wood Unnecessary! jk – The well-known company Precious woods advertises parts for fireproof doors made of tropical wood in the “Schreinerzeitung”. The FSC certified wood comes from the Brazilian virgin forest and should be an alternative to native oak, or, respectively, African Sipo. The BMF advises against the purchase and recommends instead the fireproof doors tested by the EMPA made of glued layers of local beechwood and poplarwood from the firm Norma Reiden AG, in Reiden/LU. Phone: 062 758 42 42; fax: 062 758 42 43. Crimes against trees for snake protection project bm – There was a lack of wood just 50 years ago in Switzerland. It was forbidden to go into the forest with an axe and cut firewood in many places. Thanks to the import of cheap fuels and wood from exploited virgin forests, Swiss forests are recuperating. The wood is unused and lies rotting away in many places. In the region of the Laufental (Liesberg, BL/ Kleinlützel, SO) projects are being carried out which should create new habitats for the Jura viper. This endangered species of reptile loves sunny cliffs. On the one hand, undergrowth is sensibly being cut and piled on to heaps, giving the snakes and other animals good cover. On the other hand, almost all vegetation is being removed in some places in a kind of mini-clearcutting process; beech trees thick as bodies, as old as 50 years, oaks and pines as well as rather rare species of shrubs and small trees such as snowy mespilus (Amelanchier ovalis), a buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula), the wild service-tree (Sorbus torminalis) and a whitebream (Sorbus chamaemespilus/ S. mougeotii) have been indiscriminately cut down and left to rot on the ground. In January the bark of the thickest, probably 300 yearold beech tree in the area has been cut off around the trunk to cause it to die. Miraculously the sap could rise up in spite of this, the buds opened in Spring and the tree still stands in full foliage today, in July! The BMF requests the manager of the project and the BUWAL to spare older (> 150 years) trees, oaks and rare woody shrubs in order to enable virgin forest-like biotopes to develop in dry areas with cliffs, to cut all wood in winter and to utilise trunks sensibly, or to wait with felling until the demand for wood increases. Not only the snakes would profit from this in future. In praise! We congratulate the following communities on their decision to renounce the use of tropical wood from the exploitation of virgin forests: Aarau/AG, Gonten/AI, Kreuzlingen/TG, Neunforn/TG, Jouxtens/VD, Lutry/ VD, Mex/VD, Préverenges/VD, Dürnten/ZH and Illnau-Effretikon/ZH. Apart from 4 cantons, a total of 250 communities with a population of 2 626 572 desist from using wood from the exploitation of virgin forests. Is your home community not yet included Become active – we will be happy to send you the necessary information. 15
Page 1 and 2: Tong Tana September 1999 Journal of
Page 3 and 4: Sarawak (Malaysia) Message from Pen
Page 5 and 6: Forestry in Sarawak Professor em. E
Page 7 and 8: tan beckon. Some glow like flaming
Page 9 and 10: Speaking of wood: Amazon Ban on tim
Page 11 and 12: Switzerland: Why a mandatory declar
Page 13: JUMBO, the “heavyweight” with t

Tong Tana - Bruno Manser Fonds

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