A guide to environmental standards in Australia
Certification is the tool to verify that forests are being managed responsibly to deliver social, environmental and economic benefits now and in the future. It is also the tool to connect the consumer with the sustainable origins of wood and wood products.
Climate change
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges currently facing humankind. Increased severity and occurrence of natural disasters, changing weather patterns, polar ice melt, sea level rise and drought are just some of the consequences already experienced by populations around the world.
While forests can help to combat climate change, they are also highly vulnerable to changing climatic conditions.
The climate at a given location determines the type of forest that can become established. When climate conditions change, forests must adapt. However, the adaptation process usually requires more time than the changing climate conditions allow. This often results in a loss of forests, their biodiversity, and their ability to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Deforestation
Deforestation can result in serious negative impacts for forest biodiversity. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that 13 million hectares of forest are lost each year to deforestation. While it would take 1000 years for some tropical forests to recreate their biodiversity, others have been irreversibly damaged, as species become extinct after the destruction of their habitat.
Certification and the Responsible Wood label on a product creates additional demand for forest products by building consumer trust in them, which ultimately increases the value of forests.
Natural disasters and disturbances
Natural disturbances are interacting with climate change to further increase forest degradation.
Climate change is enabling invasive plant and insect species to gain advantage over native species. Until now, winter freezes have limited most forest pests, but rising temperatures will increase their negative impacts on forests. While destructive insects take advantage of forests weakened by drought, invasive plant species will be able to increase and spread due to their tolerance of harsh conditions.
Fire is a natural part of forest ecosystems and several species of trees have found ways to protect their seeds from it. However, with increasing temperatures favouring more intense wildfires, many forests will not be able to recover. Besides fire, flooding and hurricane-force winds have intensified and have been responsible for forest degradation.
Sustainable forest management can contribute towards strengthening the resilience of forests, enabling them to adapt to climate change impacts as well as natural disasters and disturbances. Responsible Wood-certified forests are managed in compliance with international requirements and regularly monitored (insert link to ‘Assurance and Compliance in the Standards and Implementation section) by third party, independent auditors. This ensures that forest management activities keep the forests healthy and do not lead to forest degradation, a common pre-condition of forests then converted for alternative land use.
SDG 3: Good health and well-being
