Press Room
TFF Installs Two European Directors
WASHINGTON, DC, January 16, 2012 - Two European leaders in tropical forestry have joined the Board of Directors of the Washington, DC-based Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF). Rene Boot and Ralph Ridder, based in the Netherlands and Switzerland, respectively, were elected to the Board of Directors at TFF’s Annual Meeting in October 2011, and officially began their terms on January 1, 2012.
“TFF’s Board of Directors is an integral part of the organization, providing more than leadership,” said TFF Executive Director Bob Johnston. “The members contribute expertise from science, conservation and industry to establish programs and training centers that improve forestry practices in the tropics while sustaining the economies of forest-dependent people. Rene and Ralph are valuable additions to the discussions and decisions.”
Boot is director of Tropenbos International, a Dutch foundation that aims to improve governance and management of tropical forests through research, capacity building and dialog. Tropenbos and TFF have worked together on projects at several of TFF’s training centers, and Boot spent three years in Guyana, where TFF has a training center. He is also an adjunct professor in sustainable tropical forest management at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where he teaches research policy and supervises PhD students in forest ecology and forest-dependent livelihoods. Boot is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Tropical Ecology and serves on an advisory committee of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Ridder is the director of the Association Technique Internationale des Bois Tropicaux (ATIBT) and president of the Interafrican Forest Industries Association. Prior to becoming the leader of the two organizations in 2011, Ridder headed the FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) and REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries) initiatives of the European Forest Institute. Ridder, too, has on-the-ground experience in the regions where TFF has training centers. He has pursued research and consulting with such diverse organizations as the DLR (German Aerospace Research Center), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the World Wildlife Fund, the World Resources Institute, the World Bank, and the European Forest Institute.
Boot and Ridder will each serve a two-year term on the Board and will be eligible for re-election in 2013.
About the Tropical Forest Foundation
The Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF) is an international, non-profit, educational institution committed to advancing environmental stewardship, economic prosperity, and social responsibility through sustainable forest management (SFM). TFF regional programs in Asia Pacific, Africa, and South America have become synonymous with the promotion and training of Reduced Impact Logging (RIL). For 20 years, TFF has fostered dialogue and alliances among industry, government, and academia, as well as the research and conservation communities to improve tropical forest management around the world and increase the economic value of these forests for those who depend upon its bounty for their livelihood.
HF Green Blog Introduces TFF
WASHINGTON, DC, November 9, 2011 -- Hardwood Floors magazine's online Green Blog featured two posts by Elizabeth Baldwin that introduced TFF and its approach to sustainability. As part of a series highlighting organizations "doing great work on the ground in tropical countries," the first post summarizes the history and work of TFF; the second post is an interview with Executive Director Bob Johnston.
In the interview, Johnston discusses the causes of deforestation, the challenges faced in expanding tropical wood markets, and TFF's role. After describing how designers can help, Johnston concludes, "To make further progress, the market must provide the demand. A greater, consistent demand for tropical timber from major import markets is required for suppliers to continue to invest in training and certification."
Good Wood Emphasizes Importance of Demand
WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2011 -- An article published by Interiors and Sources emphasizes the importance of continued demand for tropical hardwoods to forest sustainability worldwide. "Good Wood" reviews the outcomes from the 1989 Smithsonian Tropical Forestry Workshop: that tropical forests will be conserved only if they have economic value; blanket bans and embargoes tend to depress the value of hardwoods and the forests; and funds obtained from products of the tropical forests must be channeled into managing and regenerating those forests. The article also addresses the benefit to communities that rely on forests for livelihoods, and the role of the Tropical Forest Foundation in providing on-the-ground training in sustainable practices.Hardwood Floors Magazine Examines Support for Future Supply
WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2011 -- The role of technology in assuring continued supply is the topic of an article in Hardwood Floors, the magazine of the National Wood Flooring Association. The comprehensive article, called "The Forester's Toolbox: Technology Shores up Supplies for the Future," provides an overview of the ways in which advances in computing, biotechnology, and policymaking are assuring progress toward sustainability.
The role of the Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF) in translating these technologies on the ground in tropical forests is highlighted, as is the work of OLAM International, a global agriculture harvester and member of the TFF.
