The
Solution
The message is crystal clear. We
must protect the world's remaining rainforests and their rich biological resources.
For consumers to continue to
enjoy finely crafted furniture, beautiful cabinetry, and other quality products made from
tropical hardwoods, we must find another source of tropical hardwoods.
The answer is to plant tropical
hardwood trees in plantations, for harvest - for profit. This free-enterprise solution of
planting tropical trees for harvest not only provides a product, tropical hardwoods, in
great demand, it also serves to ease the pressures to exploit the natural rainforests.
A very happy tree owner as she sees
her teak trees for the first time
The solution is not new. Teak,
for example, has been grown successfully in plantations for at least a century. Even so,
because the world demand for tropical hardwoods is so great, plantations, or tree farms,
can supply only a small fraction of the world demand. The vast majority of the tropical
hardwoods sold today are still being taken from the natural rainforests. Less than 1% of
tropical hardwoods presently come from plantations.
Despite the benefits of modern
technology and all that has been learned from existing plantations, as the supply of
tropical hardwoods from natural rainforests is depleted or protected, it is unlikely that
enough plantations can ever be established to keep the price of tropical hardwoods from
spiraling out of sight.
Out of every problem grows an equal or greater opportunity!.
next page - The Opportunity |
