| One of the key issues facing our global environment and economy today is the question of how to insure the sustainable management of our forest lands. The purpose of this research is to investigate the potential for “green certification” as a means of paying for the environmental benefits related to forestry and improved forest management practices.; A survey of consumers in the Lake States found that there are people willing to pay more for certified wood, and the most common premium they indicate they are willing to pay is in the range from 10 to 20 percent. In addition, the most likely individuals to pay this premium will belong to the demographic categories of: female, aged 18–29, college-educated, without children.; Interviews with primary and secondary manufacturers suggest that neither the cost nor the activities required to become certified are a major concern.The challenge these firms face is in addressing the logistics of getting enough volume in the specific species and grade to manufacture enough product to supply their customer's needs and meet the needs of being 100 percent certified for that product.; Interviews with landowners in the Lake States area suggest that the third party certification of those forest lands that are already well managed is unlikely to measurably increase the number of acres that are well managed overall and could possibly decrease the net number of acres globally that are well managed to the extent that harvest levels are reduced on productive US land and transferred to less productive land and noncertified lands elsewhere. In addition, land owners targeted by current certification efforts often see little need to verify they are well managed. The exception to this is in situations where land management and ownership involve separate bodies such as often exists with public and corporate ownerships. |
