Frequently Asked Questions

Why do forests need to be managed? Why not just leave them alone?

Closing off forest reserves can be an effective form of conservation, especially in remote areas. But in frontier areas, where natural forests meet expanding human activity and settlement, officially protected forests are often that in name only.

Managing these threatened forests sustainably gives them greater economic value, provides livelihoods and income for local people, and revenue for industry and government. Economic incentive not to clear the forest is sometimes the only realistic means of conserving them.

Who pays for TFT's activities?

About 50% of our funding comes from TFT Member businesses. The other 50% comes from mostly grants, donations, and a small amount of contract work.

Who can join - can I get involved?

TFT Members are all businesses that can demonstrate commitment to our Mission and Objectives (see Members for details). Most Members trade in tropical wood products. ‘Supporting Members' do not trade significantly in tropical wood products but  join to demonstrate their practical support for tropical forest conservation.

Individuals cannot become members, but you can become a ‘Friend of TFT', so please do get involved and Support Us. And look for the FSC or TFT label when you're thinking about buying a tropical wood product!

Business and Individuals alike are encouraged to get involved through TFT's Climate Tree initiative.  Visit: www.theclimatetree.org to learn more and see how you can get involved. 

What has TFT achieved?

4.1 million hectares of tropical forest is being supported towards sustainable management in South East Asia and Central Africa. TFT projects include the first anywhere in Indochina or the Republic of Congo to achieve FSC certification.

Major international retail chains and their suppliers have excluded potentially illegal wood from their products and are supporting good sustainable forest management by sourcing TFT forest projects and FSC certified forests.

Behind this headline achievements are countless smaller examples of lives changed for the better. Pygmy communities who have gained a say over forestry decisions that affect their lives,  villages in Laos that now have electricity and new income thanks to a community forest project,  threatened habitat of elephants is now protected...the list goes on. 

Who holds TFT accountable?

Our forest projects all share the objective of achieving independent certification under the FSC scheme.  Each year, TFT in collaboration with partner forest management units, agree a program of work to improve the sustainablity of forest practices as much as possible.  That progress is reviewed annually by TFT.  Periodically, specific projects are audited either by 3rd party FSC accredited certifying bodies, or by independent consultants (to assess the progress of donor funded project).   

We try to operate as transparently as possible and welcome interest in TFT supported projects by NGOs and other stakeholders.

At the other end of the supply chain, our Members hold us accountable. They must be able to demonstrate to their shareholders, Boards, customers and green groups that they are implementing their responsible wood procurement policies. Their interest in their TFT membership depends on our ability to help them.

TFT's accounts are audited every year, and our annual report is publically available.

For a full listing of Board of Directors and Governance Policies refer to 'About TFT' on the website. 

What is TFT's relationship with the FSC?

The FSC has developed a widely respected set of forest management standards. It accredits auditors like the Soil Association, SGS and Smartwood to assess forests and certify those that have achieved FSC standards.

TFT is not a forest management standard, and we do not certify forests. Our role is to give expert assistance to forest managers to help them to achieve FSC's standard, and to go beyond the requirements of certification.

We are a member of FSC International.

Why did you change the name of the organization?

We have changed the name to The Forest Trust to reflect the changes happening in TFT's activities: Today, TFT is increasingly being asked to work outside the tropics and on other forest products. This is because there is a wider recognition that our world leading skills for implementing Sustainable Forest Management and Wood Control Systems (respectively, getting forests FSC certified and working on traceability and legality in timber supply chains) are relevant beyond the difficult context of tropical forests and are transferable to other products.

More companies are being driven to seek our support in both the US and the EU as the compliance framework is changing and companies now need to prove that their wood products are from legal, if not sustainable, sources. We are continuing to work based on our proven model; sustainable forest management linked to responsible trade, but it now encompasses forests anywhere in the world, not just the tropics.

In effect, we are encouraging all actors connected to forestry to become ‘Forest Responsible' thus ensuring that their products are not linked in any way to deforestation, illegal practices, environmental destruction or social conflict.

And by becoming The Forest Trust, and still being TFT, we are maintaining a continuous link with our 10 year track record.