Home > About Us > Sustainable Forestry Policy

We at CHPI are very conscious of the issues surrounding the destruction of equatorial rainforests. Our current and future business relies on sourcing wood products from companies that aggressively apply proper forestry practices that target sustainability no matter where they are located.

Debate rages over the cause of deforestation or even if there is a net loss in trees on an annual basis. From a wood products perspective, studies show that there are many more trees planted per year than are harvested. Companies with a goal of long term survival and success must view the forests as a renewable resource and in turn operate using the highest standards of sustainable forestry management. Most of the forest products industry and many in the environmental community see the real problem as being tied to conversion of forests to agricultural use. This is represented by people who burn sections of rainforest to provide space for raising livestock or growing crops. They are simply trying to provide for the basic need of food for their families. Because of restrictions or access, trees, as a crop provide no economic value to these people. Livestock and crops do. Not many environmentalists focus on this problem because it is hard to target individuals or small groups of people. It is much easier and newsworthy to target the big business of wood products.

We believe that a properly managed forest can provide value not only to the companies in the business, but more importantly to the indigenous people. People working with forest products companies that properly manage this important crop can enjoy generations of success without depleting the resource. If preservationists succeed in stopping the harvest of trees through negative publicity, then they eliminate the economic contribution of the forests. Without economic value, the trees once again become an obstacle to the survival of the indigenous people. By stopping the harvest of trees and creating obstacles to the development of a sustainable forest products industry, the preservationist movement actually becomes a contributing factor in deforestation. The effort to preserve the forest becomes part of the problem rather than a solution.

Chesapeake Hardwood Products, our family mills and associated partner suppliers are all committed to supplying the USA market with products harvested and manufactured to the highest industry standards. We are aggressively pursuing FSC certification of decking products at Amacol, our lumber mill in Brazil. They are working through INAM to obtain full certification and have targeted being there by the end of 2003. We are purchasing FSC certified plywood from two mills and we have other suppliers that are close to being certified.

You, our customers, and we, the supplier, can choose to be part of the problem or part of the solution. CHPI and our affiliate companies and suppliers choose to be part of the solution. We believe in the economic value of the equatorial rainforests and in the sustainability of those resources when properly managed. Join us in being part of the solution by purchasing the products that we and other responsible companies offer, knowing that they come from companies committed to the economic value and sustainability of the rainforest.

JOHN C. REDDING
PRESIDENT & COO