Dogwood Alliance

It's a shame that the 11 Fast Food Junkies are still at it-buying their paper packaging from Southern forests.  I want to take a minute to talk about how important Southern forests are, and why we are working so hard to ensure their protection. 

Southern forests contain:

• The highest concentration of tree species diversity in North America
• The highest concentration of aquatic species diversity in the continental US, including the richest temperate freshwater ecosystem in the world.
• The highest concentration of wetlands in the US, 75% of which are forested.
• The most bio-diverse temperate forests in the world. 

Biodiversity: According to the US Forest Service, nowhere in America is there a greater variety of native plant communities, native plant species or rare and endemic plants. 

Climate Change:  From 1990 - 2004, Southern Forests offset the emissions from nearly 2 million cars.  Southern forests are a major carbon sink, and are much too important to be wasted for fast food packaging or biomass

Unfortunately over 5 million acres of forests in the Southeast are clearcut every year-most of which to make paper and paper packaging!  The South is the largest paper producing region in the world, and International Paper is the largest logging company in the world with a major presence in the South.

The 11 Fast Food Junkies are buying their paper packaging from International Paper, i.e. from Southern forests.  Check out this video from a recent visit to the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Eco-Region, a global biodiversity hotspot, to see what is still happening to our forests in the Southeast.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgfKcrT5GeQ

The 11 Fast Food Junkies can do better.  Instead of buying virgin fiber from Southern forests, many which are endangered, they can:

1.      Reduce the amount of paper packaging being used,

2.      Increase the amount of post consumer fiber in your packaging, and

3.      Ensure your paper does not come from endangered forests by making sure it is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

To send a message to the 11 Fast Food Junkies, including Yum! Brands (owner of Long John Silvers, Taco Bell, KFC, A$W and Pizza Hut), Wendy's, Arby's, Quiznos, Jack in the Box, and Bojangles, Click here. http://www.democracyinaction.org/da/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=24343&t=nofreerefillsAction.dwt

To learn more about the Fast Food Packaging Campaign, No Free Refills (for the forests), click here.   http://www.nofreerefills.org/the-facts

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Can't trurn trees into waste!
written by Regina G., April 22, 2009

I believe that we need all the trees we have left on this Earth to counteract global warming. We should be planting more trees not thinking about removing them. Escpecially for a product that becomes waste!

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Unsupportable statement
written by Glenn Hughes, April 22, 2009

This site continues to get basic timber harvesting facts wrong, despite having to retract such statements in the past. You say above that: "Unfortunately over 5 million acres of forests in the Southeast are clearcut every year-most of which to make paper and paper packaging!"

This statement is not supportable. I have challenged it in the past, and received an email on 27 March 2008 from Sid Cullipher, Executive Director of Dogwood Alliance. A protion of this email pertaining to the unsupportable statement follows:

"Eva came by my office this morning and showed me your comments on the statement 'Over half of the forests that are cut down in the US are for Packaging.'

Thanks for pointing out the problems with this quote (and it is completely unsupportable)."

I have detailed at length why this statement is incorrect, so will not bother repeating here. Mr. Cullipher's email speaks for itself.

We all value forests and the many values they provide. Continuing to print such statements, particularly when previously acknowledged as unsupportable, is not helping anyone.

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...
written by Athey, April 22, 2009

How do I feel? I feel deep sadness that ecosystem resources that have taken hundreds if not thousands of years to mature are destroyed for the immediate profit of a few corporations. Southern forest ecosytems should continue to control flooding, improve water quality, provide beauty and recreation, and be an integral breeding ground for our gulf fisheries for generations to come. It is utterly foolish that forests are destroyed to make new paper while tons of recyclable paper are landfilled each day. And the kicker is, my tax dollars go to subsidize logging companies that employ unsustainable forestry. Hopefully we can spread awareness and enough people will goin together against this madness to stop the destruction.

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I've Seen This Wasteful Destruction...
written by Tom b., April 22, 2009

... first-hand in Eastern Alabama and it's horrible to see. Soon enough, the south will be covered solely in pine trees – and that's not a good thing. Knowing the wonderful wildlife of the south; from the smallest creatures to the largest predators – this must stop.

But how will it stop? When it becomes an economical issue for the offenders. With that said, eating fast food of any kind is the problem (on many environmental and health levels, not just southern forests). It's not hard to avoid fast food if you make an effort, and that effort's extremely worth it for these forests, these creatures and our future.

These companies only truly listen to financial reports and their stockholders and if they take a hit monetarily due to a backlash, things can change. Is that naive? Hardly.

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Professor of Theatre and Speech at UTC
written by Jeannie Cerulean, April 22, 2009

I listen to students give speeches on what concerns them. They are a great indicator of up and coming public opinion. They speak for the forests, the water, reducing our carbon footprint, ending the obesity epidemic, recycling. Now you can respond by giving them what they want. The greener you are the more you'll attract their attention. As for me? I always order in and carry out rather than accept all the trash fast food places dish out. We try to avoid fast food because of the trash we get along with our meals. We even bring our own cups. Provide a washing station for my cup, and I'll be pleasantly surprised by your good business practice!

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Save the Southern Forests!
written by Caroline, April 22, 2009

See title! It's really important!!

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Southern forests
written by mseva, April 23, 2009

Mr Hughes--the fact that over 5 million acres of Southern forests are cut every year is indeed just that--a fact. From the US Forest Service Southern Forest Research Assessment.

The quote you mention before was taken out of context. My previous email was explained, and I think you took Sid's quote out of context.

The bottom line is that while perhaps you practice sustainable forestry, the majority of the paper industry does not. While there are readily available alternative (recycled, reduction, FSC), millions of acres of forests are being cut for paper and paper packaging. There are solutions out there!

Thanks Dogwood for all your hard work over the years to protect Southern forests.

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...
written by Glenn Hughes, April 27, 2009

MSEVA,

Let me again copy from above and respond to errors I feel exist:
"Unfortunately over 5 million acres of forests in the Southeast are clearcut every year-most of which to make paper and paper packaging!"

A reasonable interpretation of the above, and the focus of my objection, is that more than 50% ("most") of the clearcuts conducted in the South each year are to provide paper and paper packaging. I am a forester, and do not believe that this statement is supported by peer-reviewed information. I am willing to go a step further, and again bet this web site $1,000 that they cannot support this statement.

The Southern Forest Resource (not Research) Assessment, to which you refer is available at the following link, and I thank you for bringing this source to everyone's attention, as they have data that can be accessed to answer this question.

http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/sustain/report/index.htm

If you go to "Update-1" on this site, and click on "Figure 1", you will get a graph titled "Roundwood harvests in the U.S. South by product."

According to this Figure, in 2001 there were 9 billion cubic feet of wood harvested in the South. Less than half is "pulpwood" that is used to produce paper and paper products.

Equally important, but not reflected in the Figure, is that much pulpwood in the South comes from forests that are *not* clearcut for pulpwood, but are either 1) thinnings, or 2) topwood from sawtimber harvests.

Private landowners own 70% of the forests in the South, and in general do not clearcut for paper becasue (in my area) pulpwood is bringing about $7 per ton, wereas sawtimber is around $28 per ton. Most landowners that I know are aware that sawtimber is more valuable than pulpwood, and would prefer the higher amount to the lower. This is not rocket science.

I disagree with you that I took a quote out of context, but will let Mr. Cullipher address that issue, as it was an email from him to me. I would note for the record that what I objected to was removed.

The bottom line for me is that the 70% of the forest land is owned by private individuals, and they have invested significant time, effort, and money in their land and timber. They control what happens on their property; industry cannot dicatate any forest management practice.

Glenn.

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