I’d like to thank the Forest Science and Technology Committee of AF&PA for bringing this group together. This biennial Forestry Deans’ tour provides a unique opportunity to bring leading educators, researchers, and practitioners together. This assemblage of intellect is pretty humbling and I’m honored to address this group.
We have a significant opportunity ahead of us. Together, we can shape the future of sustainable industrial forestry and, more broadly, the role of forest management in meeting society’s needs.
We have a common interest in maintaining a viable and respected forest products industry. I’ll get right to the point: our industry needs your help. You have the scientific knowledge and credibility to influence the social and political debate. You can make a difference if you believe it.
Over the past couple of days, you’ve heard from a variety of people about science-based forestry. You’ve listened to Norman Borlaug talk about "Agriculture, Forestry and the Environment—Bridging the Divide." The interesting parallel to forestry with Dr. Borlaug’s work is that sound science alone will not assure acceptance of sound practices.
You’ve also listened to Oregon State’s Hal Salwasser talk about the effects of globalization and our obligations as resource stewards. To me, Hal represents the kind of energy and leadership that can make a difference in society’s conversation on forestry.
Additionally, you’ve heard our Cassie Phillips talk about the triple bottom line in forest management and the role that research plays in it.
We’ve demonstrated in presentations and on the ground that Weyerhaeuser Forestry is strongly science based. We have been committed to sustainable forest management for a long time. Yesterday, you visited the first certified tree farm in the American Tree Farm System, the Clemons, which Weyerhaeuser established in 1941. We have been formally committed to science-based forest management since we founded our Forestry Research organization in 1942.
In 1967, Weyerhaeuser introduced High Yield Forestry, which continues to be one of the largest intensive forest management programs in the world. High Yield Forestry has doubled the growth per acre per year on Weyerhaeuser-forestlands.
Our forest scientists play a critical role in developing technology to improve our performance. Our able foresters implement the technology to improve productivity and minimize our environmental impact, which enables us to balance stewardship and fiber production. We’re getting more fiber per acre than ever and this allows society the choice to conserve more land.
While we’re committed to sound science and results-based application of productivity technology, we also understand the importance of forest resources other than trees. In this area, we acknowledge that regulatory requirements and environmental pressure have been catalysts for progress. Our environmental research staff comprises:
- Aquatic biologists who increase our understanding of fish and forest interaction.
- Geologists who help design harvest units and roads to minimize slides and erosion.
- Hydrologists who are concerned with water quality and quantity from our lands.
- Scientists who specialize in wildlife and biodiversity and who help us protect areas of special value in the forest.
Our values apply wherever in the world we do business. As stewards of lands in the U.S., Canada, Uruguay, Australia, New Zealand, Weyerhaeuser applies science to create biologically diverse, sustainable, productive forests.
The men and women of Weyerhaeuser take pride in our history of stewardship and a strong commitment to a sustainable future. Our objective has been to show you our accomplishments first hand in order to earn your respect, trust and support. In doing so, we also aim to enlist you as advocates.
Rather than generalize, I’ll offer some highlights of advancements in the science of forest management, many of which were achieved under collaborative agreements with universities and government agencies.
- Of our 38 million acres managed – 92 percent world-wide are certified under ISO 14001, CSA or SFI, including all of our U.S. acreage.
- Watershed analysis for resource protection:
- Buffers--state law
- Landslide prevention--unique to Weyerhaeuser
- Unique biotypes--unique to Weyerhaeuser
- Forest of Conservation value
- Protection of endangered species:
- Northern Spotted Owl and Marbled Murrelet
- Salmon--Bob Bilby, our fish biologist, and his associates on our staff have made clear and significant contributions to the general scientific knowledge of how to protect fish, such as stream typing, the realization that salmon carcasses contribute to nutrients needed for salmon smolts and modeling of fish distribution in watersheds – now used by the State of Washington.
- American Burying Beetle, Ark/Ok.
- Red Hills Salamander in Alabama
- Red Cockaded Woodpecker, N.C.
- Gopher Tortoise, Miss/Lou
- Vancouver Island Marmot
- Woodland Caribou, Alberta
- Better road construction, maintenance, culverts and fewer roads for water quality protection
- Growth
- 2003 – grow 250,000 seedlings
- 50% survival in 1970’s – +85% today
- 72% planted within one year
- 2nd generation improved genetics in West, 3rd generation in South
- Plus huge improvements in fiber utilization in sawmills; i.e., 3-1/2” tops
In spite of all these accomplishments, the forest products industry, and science-based forestry, is under assault. The reality of what we do to effectively utilize and sustain the resource is not the perception of the average citizen.
We need to better convey to the public what we’ve achieved in forest management.
Let me talk first about products that substitute for wood and yet do not provide the same environmental benefits as wood.
Universities have done a superior job compiling the facts and data that enable us to compare wood products with substitute products like steel, plastic and concrete. I am talking, of course, about the CORRIM studies. They represent a remarkable level of cooperation among universities to critically examine the environmental impacts of alternative materials.
I recently had the opportunity to hear Bruce Lippke present the Life Cycle Assessment, comparing the impact of steel and wood for representative residential shells in Minneapolis.
The list of universities that contributed to this study is most impressive: The report was prepared by leading scientists from the University of Minnesota, Oregon State University, University of Idaho, North Carolina State, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech and the University of Washington. I understand deans and other academic leaders from most of those institutions are with us today, and I want to thank you for supporting this outstanding work.
The report presents quantitative evidence that the environmental impacts of wood construction are substantially less than for steel construction. In the Minnesota example, steel resulted in more air and water pollutants, more energy usage and more greenhouse warming potential.
This fine work certainly shows that wood plays an important role in meeting basic human needs in an environmentally sound manner.
Why hasn’t society fully understood these benefits? Perhaps because our voices are not as loud and not as persuasive as those who oppose us. Now is the time for us in this room to speak out to help society understand that wood truly is a remarkable, renewable and reusable resource.
Beyond the threat of substitute products that are less friendly to the environment, today, together, we have to overcome immense social obstacles, not just the scientific ones. The situation we face is not too different from the situation Dr. Borlaug faced in India. He had to overcome the entrenched governmental bureaucracy to get sound practices accepted and used.
The public is receiving inaccurate information about our products and practices and, much to our consternation, Weyerhaeuser is the latest target. Some environmental groups use distortions and half-truths to demonize our forestry and manufacturing practices.
These groups do not appear to care about the value and advantages our products bring society, the advances we have made in forest management, or about the science that indicates that we can balance economic and other forest values sustainably.
Rather, they use misinformation to prey on emotion. And they are smart enough to try to hit us where it hurts by targeting our customers.
Industry experts conservatively estimate that such market campaigns have the potential of costing our industry billions of dollars per year in lost revenue and increased costs.
Consider the campaign that the Rainforest Action Network is engaged in against Weyerhaeuser as we speak. They started this campaign in September 2003 and have been gradually intensifying it. They have surveyed retail stores in Seattle to see who sells our products. They demanded that a grocery chain that is a major customer of Weyerhaeuser bags stop purchasing them. When this customer refused, RAN planned an “International Day of Action” and called for protests at their stores.
Our response has been to meet face-to-face with their representatives to try to understand their issues and to help them better understand our practices. Even though we have clearly communicated our position to them, their position has not softened. Their web site continues to make inaccurate claims against Weyerhaeuser.
We are already doing many of the things that RAN wants and there is virtually no gap between our practices and those of organizations that RAN has publicly praised. As you may know, the SFI is governed by an independent board and employs third-party audits of certified lands. Yet we continue to be challenged, in spite of the facts, presumably because of our size and leadership position on forestry issues.
If environmental activists succeed in setting the agenda and controlling the conversation on forestry, they will minimize the respect we have earned and indeed threaten the industry’s viability. The result will be to hasten off-shore forest development and lost opportunity in North America.
What will we do? Of course we will go forward. We will continue to listen and learn and thus continually improve. I propose that we do so in continued partnership.
We are doing our best to provide the facts to our customers and the public but we cannot do it alone. It is necessary for you to be honest brokers and speak out, because of your expertise, perspective and credibility.
You have the potential to have a major impact on sustainable, industrial forestry if you see fit. You represent great organizations. You, your colleagues and your students have the intellect, background and talent to surmount enormous obstacles.
We have two main, common opportunities:
First, if you want the forest managed well, we must train foresters well…
- on all the values of the forest and
- all technological choices and
- the skills to practice the methods I’ve discussed.
We must support them to be articulate advocates, or we’re going to lose the debate.
Some forestry programs have reacted to environmental and funding pressures by minimizing emphasis on “forestry” and focusing primarily on environmental management. I know it is difficult, but we need to get away from the brown versus green attitudes. There is nothing inherently wrong with intensive forestry for fiber production. Indeed, it is compatible with conservation.
Society needs your institutions to continue to teach production forestry so that the industry can be well supplied with talented foresters who know how to produce trees for products using methods that are sustainable and protect multiple public and private resources. Students have to come to us educated in road building; knowing how to reduce logging impacts on soils; the use of GPS, GIS; the know-how to protect our forests from fire; and how to manage the other technologies we need to be good stewards and manage our certification obligations.
Secondly, the public sees you as highly credible in the sustainable forestry discussion. We all need to do public outreach and education and talk about our expanded capabilities in balancing fiber production and good stewardship.
Where you know it to be true, please stand tall on the excellence of our practices and forestry technology. The deans of America’s forestry schools will be heard. Reach out to the public and take every opportunity to speak on behalf of good forest science and its benefits for society. Doing so will help your schools, colleagues and students have a significant influence on social attitudes and regulatory policies.
Your pro-activity will benefit society by increasing understanding of the often emotional issues related to forestry. It is in all of our interests to allocate more time to public outreach to ensure that our schools have healthy enrollments of future foresters and scientists and that our industry remains viable and valued for its contribution to the quality of life.
To sum it up:
- Keep up the good work you’re already doing – keep training good forest scientists and foresters.
- Be honest brokers for all forest values, including production forestry.
- Take any opportunity to engage in productive discourse with all stakeholders.
- Get involved in the administrative and political process.
- Help educate, not only your students, but all stakeholders.
- Continue your involvement with the modern, science-based practices used by the industry.
We need to be advocates for productivity, renewability and sustainability of forestland. We need to enhance the respect and thus the viability of the forest products industry. And when we are successful, our schools and our students will be better positioned to create a future that benefits all of society.
Thank you.
