Yet each year around 13 million hectares of natural forest are lost. That's 25 hectares every minute, the equivalent of 36 football fields.

Once spread over half the earth, forests now cover only a quarter of the planet's land surface.

One of the main causes of this destruction is illegal logging, which is fed by high demand for timber in Europe and in countries such as Japan, the United States and China. This wood then ends up in our shops and ultimately our homes. So your garden furniture or wooden flooring may have in fact contributed to the destruction of the world's most valuable rainforests.


Businesses will ultimately listen to their customers.

If you stop buying timber that comes from forests that are badly managed, or even perhaps that has been illegally produced, then the suppliers of this timber will have no choice but to change as well.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, not for profit, non-governmental organization that provides standard setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services for companies and organizations interested in responsible forestry.