Sustainably managed forests

Maintain the paper cycle with paper from sustainably managed forests

In 2015, a remarkable study determined that there were more than three trillion trees on the planet.

Using satellite images, data from forestry researchers on the ground, and scientific mathematics, scientists were able to accurately estimate the number of trees growing on all continents except Antarctica for the first time.

Previous guesses at the global number of trees were in the range of 400 billion, roughly 61 trees for each person on earth. This more accurate study was based on 400,000 estimates of tree densities around the world. It put the global number of trees at 3.04 trillion, roughly 422 trees for every person.

However, although the actual number of trees may be about eight times higher than previously thought, the scientists warned that we are cutting them down at the rate of about 15 billion a year. The highest losses are in the tropics where some of the oldest and biggest trees live.

The Earth has lost more than half its trees since humans first learned how to wield the axe. The three trillion trees represent just 45 per cent of the total number of trees that had existed beforehand.

Scientists calculate that there are 1.39 trillion trees growing in tropical and sub-tropical forests. With about 0.61 trillion in temperate regions such as the US and Europe and 0.74 trillion in the boreal forests in the higher, more northerly latitudes of Canada and Siberia.

The global need for paper means that harvesting trees for paper production will inevitably continue, and the future of our forests hangs in the balance.

Fortunately, there is a way forward, that won’t cost the earth: sustainably managed forests.

Sustainably managed forests

Galloways use paper and paper packaging from forests that bear the Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC) Chain of Custody Certification. Choosing the FSC means you are joining a revolutionary concept: a voluntary, market-based approach that will improve forestry practices worldwide.

The FSC unites people, businesses, governments and NGOs worldwide, to protect healthy, resilient forests for all, forever. FSC’s sustainable forestry standards translate into actions that make a positive impact on the world’s forests.

The FSC certification system verifies sustainable sourcing of forest products and ecosystem services at every step of the chain, from forest to consumer. The FSC label is the most visible symbol of certification and is recognised by up to 56% of global consumers.

FSC label

Each FSC label is backed by forest managers, businesses, not-for-profit organisations, and many other groups and individuals, all committed to upholding a common set of responsible forestry standards. These standards include: zero deforestation; the safeguarding of ancient and endangered forests; fair wages and work environments; preservation of biodiversity; and community rights, including the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Sustainably-managed forests meet the needs of wildlife while supporting livelihoods and providing many other ecosystem services, such as carbon storage and flood risk mitigation and biodiversity conservation.

A sustainable forest is a forest that is carefully managed so that as trees are felled they are replaced with seedlings that eventually grow into mature trees. This is a carefully and skilfully managed system and great care is taken to ensure the safety of wildlife and to preserve the natural environment.

Sustainable forest management might include selective logging, the practice of removing certain trees while preserving the balance of the woodland. Other practices include allowing young trees time to mature before cultivation, strategic tree planting to expand forestlands, and the creation of protected forests.

Sustainable forests are the result of a commonsense policy to replace trees that are felled, so that forests continue to exist, providing natural materials for us all.

Looking for a sustainable and environmentally friendly option for your print marketing? Look no further than paper sourced from sustainably managed forests, supplied and printed by Galloways. Contact us today on 01625 870000.