Portland, OR, April 26--If Oregon is so well-known for its forests, could it offer its own brand of lumber? That's what the Oregon Department of Forestry is asking, according to the Oregonian.
State leaders are investigating the possibility of seeking environmental certification for Oregon forests, a kind of green seal of approval that might help set the state's wood apart and compete in a changing market.
Imported lumber is flooding the country, diluting prices and making it tough to tell where wood was cut and how destructive the logging might have been. But Oregon enforces statewide rules that require replanting of logged lands, limit clearcut sizes and use other measures meant to keep cutting sustainable.
Forest certification could recognize those rules as evidence that Oregon logging is environmentally sound. It would give forest owners across the state a new selling point, officials say.
The Oregon Department of Forestry has signed a $60,000 contract with the nonprofit Pinchot Institute for Conservation to examine whether all forests in the state -- private, state and federal -- could be certified according to global principles.
But the action could also provoke new debate on the strength of Oregon's forest practices laws, the first such laws in the nation.
Environmental activists say Oregon's forest standards do not do enough to protect wildlife and water quality and fall short of those in neighboring California and Washington. But many timber officials say the standards are stronger than those in much of the rest of the country and the world.
State forester Marvin Brown says one goal is to help small landowners enjoy the benefits of certification at lower cost. Participation would be voluntary.
"It's not being driven by regulation; it's being driven by the marketplace," said Rick Fletcher, an Oregon State University extension forester.
The better private landowners do selling their timber, the less they will be tempted to replace their forests with housing or other development for a higher return, officials said.
But today they compete against lumber from states such as Georgia and Alabama and countries including Canada, Brazil, New Zealand and Sweden.
Forest certification is a rapidly expanding means of discriminating among products from around the globe, with large retailers such as Home Depot and Lowe's embracing the green image of certified forests. They and other large timber purchasers prefer certified wood.
There are different ways of certifying forests. An industry program called the Sustainable Forestry Initiative has certified most of Oregon's industrial forests. Environmental groups endorse another certification program, the Forest Stewardship Council, as more rigorous.
But both programs certify individual forest properties, while state officials are interested in a statewide approach. Participation in the programs can also be costly, since landowners who want their forests certified must pay for outside assessments. And Oregon lumber gets no special distinction.
State officials are looking into certifying Oregon forests under the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. Developed in Europe, PEFC has recognized forestry standards in 18 countries as environmentally sustainable and is one of the fastest growing certification programs worldwide.
It requires that forests meet certain standards to protect wildlife, prevent erosion and support local communities.
Forests managed according to those standards are considered certified and can carry a PEFC logo.
It's not clear whether PEFC would certify forests in a state rather than an entire country, said David Morman, forest resources planning program director at the Oregon Department of Forestry. The review will examine the varied laws and rules that apply to federal, state and private forests in Oregon.
