Conference Focused on Sustainably Harvested Wood and Forest Conservation Hosted at WCS’ Headquarters

A 2-day conference focused on sustainably harvested wood and forest conservation ended with a consensus resolution to promote policies and practices in responsibly sourced wood for city projects and infrastructure, according to WCS.

The event, hosted at WCS’s Bronx Zoo headquarters, was organized by Pilot Projects, WCS, Municipal Art Society and Natural Areas Conservancy.

“New York and other cities have been centers of leadership and decisions that have helped to shape and drive trends worldwide,” said Scott Francisco, Founder and Director of Pilot Projects. “Cities can make a huge impact helping to conserve globally important forests through the use of sustainably harvested wood from well-managed forests.”

Conference participants were invited to sign a resolution urging global cities to proactively source wood from the world’s best managed forests as part of their urban climate change policies.

The event titled “Wood at Work: Elegant Strategies for Architecture, City Building, and Forest Conservation” brought together some 120 attendees, including world-renowned scientists and architects, city officials, writers, and leaders in both industry and conservation. The participants joined in lectures, discussions, and break-out sessions to examine the role of wood as a profoundly important building material as well as the wellspring of ecological services crucial for people and wildlife.

The main points of the resolution were:

1. New York and other cities are centers of leadership, policy innovation, culture, arts, and inspiration, and their decisions impact and influence global trends.
2. Thriving forest systems are a critical part of mitigating global climate change, as well as maintaining biodiversity, community livelihoods and identity, human health, and broader ecosystem services.
3. The use of sustainably harvested wood from well-managed, certified forest systems (including community managed forests) can significantly contribute to global forest and wildlife conservation and maintain the aesthetic and architectural qualities that only wood can provide.
4. We suggest that New York and other cities create policies to proactively promote the use of responsibly sourced wood in city building projects and infrastructure as part of their climate change initiatives, and to build civic awareness about the global importance of forests.

“In a nutshell, conference members wanted to communicate to New York City officials that the use of responsibly sourced wood in city projects and infrastructure can reduce their carbon footprint as compared to concrete, steel, or plastic, and proactively help to save forests and curb global climate change," said Jeremy Radachowsky, Director of the Mesoamerica and Caribbean Program for WCS.

“We’re hopeful that the discussions and ideas we’ve generated together will serve as the foundation for city-based initiatives utilizing the many benefits of wood harvested from sustainably managed forests” said John Calvelli, Executive Vice President for WCS’s Public Affairs Division.