Forests comprise a large part of North America’s natural environment, and provide crucial ecological, economic, and social values. Unfortunately, business-as-usual logging often has substantial and long-lasting environmental, social, and economic impacts. Many U.S. and Canadian timber and paper companies’ historical and current practices have degraded water quality, liquidated much of the land’s timber “capital,” played a leading role in bringing many forest species to the brink of extinction, and/or seriously impacted many other forest resources.

Some U.S. timber companies continue to log rare old growth and endangered species’ habitats, reduce natural forests to ecologically barren tree plantations, and even replace forests with non-forest land uses. Some companies also create immense clearcuts, and apply chemicals at excessive and unnecessary levels. Most companies also fail to adequately protect streams and water quality. And some also harvest their trees too quickly, thus failing to maximize long-term timber production, while increasing negative environmental impacts. Such practices keep commercial forests in a degraded state, and miss commercially viable restoration opportunities.

Equally harmful practices occur in the forests of Canada and many other temperate and tropical nations—some of which are logged to supply U.S. companies.  

Fortunately, opportunities exist to protect Endangered Forests, and to use more balanced and sustainable practices in commercially managed forests.

Logging that exceeded timber growth caused timber inventories—i.e., the volume of trees in the forest—to fall by as much as 1/3 on industry lands nationwide between 1953 and 2002. (Source: USDA Forest Service timber inventory data.)

As go the trees, so go fish and wildlife habitat, water quality, and other forest resources. Populations and habitat areas of imperiled species continue to shrink, and the number of species considered imperiled continues to rise. Many of our nation’s waters are also now considered water quality impaired.