Rainforests wither for wooden decks

Endangered rain forest timber could bring a frisson of guilt to the traditional long weekend barbecue.

Greenpeace Forests campaigner Grant Rosoman said the deck housing the barbecue and the outdoor furniture could have all have been made from such timber, the demand for which was levelling forests in Papua New Guinea and Southeast Asia.

Of particular focus to Greenpeace is the hardy tropical timber kwila, which is the most popular wood and highly regarded for use in decking as well as outdoor chairs and tables. Mr Rosoman said forests, wildlife and communities were being destroyed to harvest kwila.

"Unfortunately, the bulk of the timber that's out there, the outdoor furniture and the sawn timber, cannot be proven as legal," he said.

"For all the efforts that people are making, we're still not getting there and there are other choices people can make."

While many companies claimed to be selling ethically harvested wood, it was difficult to obtain clear documentation verifying the legality of the timber.

"They may know the country where it comes from and they may even know the logging operation it comes from but they cannot prove the legality of it and we have evidence of illegality," Mr Rosoman said.

About 70 per cent of the tropical wood brought into the country comes via companies which are members of the Timber Importers Association, a group which Greenpeace acknowledged had strict standards regarding the sources of timber.

NZTIA past president Dave Liggins said the industry group and allied organisation, the Imported Tropical Timber Group, had worked towards better sourcing of tropical timber for years.

"Our goals are the same but the point of difference is that Greenpeace wants everything to happen tomorrow and we say it will take a little longer," Mr Liggins said.

"By far, the majority of timber imports are from sustainable sources. As far as we know, there is nothing from illegal sources."

However, Mr Liggins conceded that the origin of the wood used on imported, pre-assembled furniture - like most of the kwila furniture in New Zealand - was harder to control.

"We don't know and, I hasten to add, I don't believe Greenpeace knows either. There is just not enough concrete evidence and we've been trying to find out for years."

One importer of kwila furniture, Mitre 10, said it sourced its tables and chairs from a joint venture factory in Vietnam, Furniture Global.

"The major reason we purchase from Furniture Global is its involvement and commitment to sourcing timber from correctly managed forests," communications manager Peter Stewart said.

"The factory purchases kwila timber from reputable and recognised suppliers of sawn timber (in a semi-processed form) in accordance with Malaysian/Indonesian laws governing the export of kwila."

Several security systems exist that certify timber as having been harvested legally but there is suspicion about the credibility of some of those schemes. However, the Forest Stewardship Council mark and "Ecotimber" get the Greenpeace seal of approval.

Of course, people could just choose to not use kwila.

"We stock 50 different timbers and you could turn two-thirds of them into barbecue tables," Mr Liggins said.

"The easy way to have a guilt-free barbecue is to not to have a kwila table and, if you do, just see that it's stamped."

Ethical tip

* Look for outdoor furniture with the Forest Stewardship Council "Ecotimber" mark.
Source: Greenpeace