World Wildlife Fund joins Canadian forest companies in carbon-neutral plan

Industry says its environmental efforts will be independently monitored
By Gordon Hamilton, Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, October 30, 2007
VANCOUVER - The Canadian forest industry is joining with the World Wildlife Fund in a bid to become Canada's first carbon neutral industry by 2015 without purchasing carbon credits.
Saying the industry is responding to markets, not just government regulations, Forest Products Association of Canada head Avrim Lazar announced the new initiative at a climate change conference in Ottawa Tuesday.
But not all environmental groups are convinced the forest industry has indeed committed to reducing its carbon footprint, particularly over the issue of greenhouse gas emissions caused by logging.
"In the past, the logging industry has refused to acknowledge emissions from logging," said Tzeporah Berman of ForestEthics. "This initiative has to do that, because if the logging industry does not address cutting trees it's a bit like slapping a solar panel on the side of a Hummer and calling it green.
"The Canadian logging industry's contribution to global warming is just too big to hide behind the panda [logo of the World Wildlife Fund]," said Berman. "Logging in Canada contributes as much to greenhouse gas emissions as all the cars on the road."
In a telephone interview from Ottawa, Lazar said the development of bioenergy projects will aid in achieving carbon neutrality in mills. The industry also intends to look at the entire supply chain, from forest disturbance caused by logging to manufacturing and transportation and finally waste in landfills, he said.
Tony Iacobelli, director of forest and fresh water conservation for the WWF, said their plan involves third-party consultants, academic peer reviews and environmental reviews at each step.
He said the issue of carbon accounting requires a rigorous assessment as the current definitions leave room for conflicting claims. Tracking carbon and accounting for it accurately is the goal, he said.
"As you know, the numbers tend to vary quite widely and people seem to use the numbers as they need to if they want to make a particular point. So we are not going in with any particular assumptions about methodologies or ownership of carbon. We want to actually work out these things."
"We are hoping to look at carbon in the forests right through to the life cycle of wood products, including the energy used in the manufacturing in pulp, paper and other wood products."
Lazar said the industry is funding the WWF's involvement in project and the independent research.
"No one else is going to step up and pay for it," he said.
Lazar said the fact that research will be peer-reviewed should allay concerns about the industry funding its own carbon accounting.
"My anxiety is whether we can get there by 2015. On that I am not 100 per cent sure. But on the credibility of the research, I have no doubt at all."