Get acquainted with your furniture

Your garden fence may have come from Russia, where illegal logging provides a profit for a few while damaging nature and communities

How? Timber fencing is often made of larch, a rare species in the European part of Russia and often protected.

Illegal and uncontrolled cutting of larch is a major issue all over Russia. Overall illegal logging rates have reached 27 per cent in the north-west of Russia and 50 per cent in the Russian far east. Russia loses approximately one billion US dollars per year to illegal logging and trade, which in turn restricts money available for good harvesting practices, communities and development.

Bad practices put wildlife in Russia's boreal forests - such as the Siberian tiger and the Far Eastern leopard - at high risk.

... the spruce and pine boards you bought may have caused major social and economic damage to communities in Eastern Europe

How? Illegal logging is a major issue in EU Accession and candidate countries - key sources of spruce and pine in European markets. Thirty-five percent of wood-based products imported into the EU come from these countries. Uncontrolled and illegal harvesting damages nature and local communities. Often locals do not even profit from the sale of timber because a few illegal actors reap the rewards while destroying nature, resources, and the reputation of industry.

...your parquet flooring may have destroyed key habitats of the orang-utan and jaguar

How? Popular timbers for parquet flooring are merbau from Indonesia, jatoba from the Amazon and doussie from tropical Africa. The dramatic decline of the orang-utan populations in South-East Asia, the jaguar populations of Latin America and African forest elephants is in part due to the rampant logging leading to destruction of their habitat.

...your sauna seats used to give shade to African elephants

How? Abachi, used in many saunas, comes from West and Central Africa. Illegal harvesting has reached dramatic levels in this region. These countries are also the key habitats of the forest elephant. At the beginning of the 20th century there were still 3-5 million elephants in Africa, today the number of forest elephants has greatly diminished. A key threat for these elephants is habitat loss and deforestation.
» More on illegal logging in Africa

... your ramin timber picture and window frames have very likely supported illegal business practices in Indonesia and Malaysia

How? Ramin is a vulnerable species according to the IUCN red list and has special protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. However, through smuggling and other illegal practices ramin still finds its way into your living room.

... your garden furniture may have contributed to the destruction of the world's most valuable rainforests

How? Valuable rainforest species are used in garden furniture because of their durability. FSC-certified garden furniture is the best alternative for consumers who want to avoid contributing to forest destruction.

What can I do?

Ask for FSC certified timber which is your best assurance that wood comes from forests managed to the highest environmental and social standards.

A visual guide is available on this site to help you identify tropical timber in the shops. If a product manufactured from tropical wood does not carry an FSC label it is very likely that it has accelerated rainforest loss.

Who We Are:
- Contact,
- Governance,
- History,
- Jobs,
- WWF Offices & Associates.
What We Do:
- Priority Species,
- Priority Places,
- Reducing Impacts,
- How We Do This,
- Why We Do This,
- Success Stories.
About Our Earth:
- Biodiversity,
- Species,
- Climate,
- Forests,
- Oceans, seas & coasts,
- Rivers, lakes & wetlands,
- Agriculture,
- Places,
- Problems,
- Teachers,
- News,
- Publications,
- FAQ.
How You Can Help:
News:
Climate: