With the growing concern for our environment looming over their heads, companies are seeking out the most sustainable manufacturing methods for their products. It’s no surprise that when it comes to lumber, some companies go above and beyond the conventional methods of sustainable – so much so that they plant entire forests to replenish the resources needed to manufacture their hard goods.

Let’s face it: we need trees and forests to survive. In a sense, trees are the lifeline of our planet. By pulling harmful carbon dioxide from the air, forests help regulate our global climate – absorbing nearly 40 percent of fossil fuel emissions we produce annually.

Forests also provide fuel for cooking and warmth, medicinal plants, food, wildlife habitat, clean water, and even a livelihood for some. To put the importance of our forests into perspective, the economic value of eco system related services (people who make their livelihood from trees in some way) has been estimated at $33 trillion per year, twice the GDP of the United States.

Surprisingly, this initiative started back in 1994 when businesses were able to apply for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification – a set of sustainability standards that businesses must follow in order to prove their management plan promotes the protection, restoration, and conservation of national forests.  Not only are businesses planting trees in their logging wake, but they also have adapted their logging techniques to reduce overall environmental impact.

When we hear the word “logging” many people depict a bulldozer plowing through the forest, tearing down anything in its path.  In the past, this may have been the case. Today, however, companies are training their employees to harvest timber with sustainability in mind. This means loggers can only fell specific trees in a manner that reduces harm to other trees and minimizes erosion, waste, and carbon emissions.