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A high priority for TFF is to encourage the major international timber companies to support and
incorporate TFF Sustainable Forest Management/ Reduced-impact Logging principles and practices.
History
The Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF) was formed in 1990 as a result of a Smithsonian Institution workshop that brought together leaders of industry, science, and conservation to address the growing concern for the protection of tropical forests. TFF was established to foster dialogue and alliances between industry groups, improve tropical forest management, and enhance the economic value of tropical forests.
Upon its inception, TFF established itself as an international organization dedicated to promoting tropical forest conservation and management through education and training. By 1993, TFF had teamed with IMAZON and Caterpillar, Inc. to research the benefits and costs of Reduced-Impact Logging (RIL) near Paragominas, Brazil. The following year TFF established a field program to promote the implementation of RIL methods throughout the Amazon's major tropical forest regions.Developing training programs in sustainable forest management through the implementation of RIL soon became TFF's primary focus. Since 1996, more than 1,400 individuals from logging companies, universities, and government agencies have received TFF RIL training in Brazil alone.
In addition to improving logging practices, TFF is engaged in research to increase the commercial value of tropical forests that have been logged.
TFF is continuing to garner funding and support for the establishment of a permanent RIL training facility in Brazil and has also introduced programs in Guyana, Indonesia, and most recently, Africa.
The success of these programs is largely due to the collaborative effort of a diverse, yet balanced, group of industry and non-industry organizations represented on TFF's Board of Directors. Current and former Board members include individuals from organizations such as the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the International Union for the Conversation of Nature (IUCN) The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), APKINDO, the Sarawak Timber Association, the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), and Caterpillar and its affiliates, TRAKINDO and Tractors Malaysia.
Dr. Thomas Lovejoy of the Smithsonian Institution served as founding Chairman of the Board of Directors. Current Chairman, Dr. Jim Bowyer, Director of the Forest Products Management Development Institute at the University of Minnesota, was elected in 2003. Carl Gade, Executive Vice President of The Penrod Company, currently serves as President.