A range of powerful forces-increasing demand for wood, uncertain and decreasing supply, increasing environmental pressures, and growing markets for environmentally certified wood-are changing the way the forest products industry conducts business. Forward-thinking firms have recognized the significance of these forces and are developing a new business model, one that will not only sustain revenues, but can ensure the long-term health of the forests upon which the industry depends.
The Business of Sustainable Forestry integrates and analyzes a series of twenty-one case studies of industry leaders carried out by the Sustainable Forestry Working Group. The motivations of the pioneering firms studied are as varied as their characteristics, yet each has made significant progress. The authors of this book argue that the operations that have been most succeessful are those that have integrated sustainable forestry principles and practices into their overall corporate strategy. The book:
- describes the forces that are pushing the industry toward sustainability
- presents an overview of the new techniques and technologies that are making sustainable forestry more feasible than ever
- presents in clear, engaging prose company profiles that demonstrate both the promise of and the obstacles to sustainable forest management
- gives a clear-eyed look at practices such as certification and their capacity to transform the forest products market
- provides conclusions drawn from the cases by Stuart Hart of the University of North Carolina and Matt Arnold of the Management Institute for Environment and Business
- offers a succinct set of lessons learne.
The Business of Sustainable Forestry is the first book to present a composite snapshot of the business of sustainable forestry and the lessons learned by early adopters in form and language accessible to the general business reader. Forest and natural resource managers, forest products industry managers, and students and academics in schools of business and forestry will find the book a unique and valuable guide to an industry in transition.
