Wood is the most environmentally friendly choice for flooring and building material, according to Dr. Patrick Moore who recently spoke extensively on this topic at the National Wood Flooring Association's 2004 Convention.

Dr. Patrick Moore has been a leader in the environmental movement for 30 years. He was a founding member of Greenpeace and is now serving as the chair of the Sustainable Forestry Committee of the Forest Alliance of British Columbia, and he has lead in the process of developing the Principles of Sustainable Forestry, which are now accepted by the majority of the wood industry. Visit his website at: www.greenspirit.com for more info.

Moore states that trees are the answer to questions posed by environmental activists. The media has reported in recent years of the devastation to animal habitat that has been caused by deforestation of land. This is not the case according to Moore. He states that wood is by far the most environmentally friendly and copious renewable flooring material available in today's market.

The reason for this is that every other flooring product manufactured takes more energy to produce and therefore, has a far more devastating impact on the surrounding environment. Sustainable forest management allows for wood to be harvested without any serious impact on the environment. This is because trees are a renewable resource and can be replaced continually.

Forests continually regenerate themselves, even recovering from the devastation of clear-cutting. Today, all those forests that were destroyed by man and nature are covered in thriving new forests. The above photo is of a monoculture Douglas-fir forest in the Koksilah River watershed on Vancouver Island; but nobody planted anything there. This is a naturally-regenerated forest growing back from logging 65 years ago. It has only one dominant tree species but it is rich in other species of plants, animals, birds and insects.

According to the Hardwood Information Center, nearly twice as much hardwood is grown each year than is harvested. The volume of hardwood in American forests has increased 90 percent since 1953 to about 352 billion cubic feet, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

Many of our manufacturers have earned the Forest Stewardship Council Certification for sustainable forestry practices. The FSC accredited certification means that the forest is managed according to strict environmental, social and economic standards. Muskoka Hardwood Flooring has over 25 percent of company operations occuring on FSC certified forests and was the first Canadian flooring manufacturer to earn this certification. Somerset Hardwood Flooring has a full time forester on staff to oversee and ensure compliance with strict environmental policies. They consistently exceed the industry’s Best Management Practices standards for environmental responsibility. Smith Flooring has been FSC certified and takes a great deal of interest in the proper management of natural resources. They practice wise forest management and selective cutting, which is the yearly harvest of only a small percentage of trees, ensuring that the forests are being replenished, not depleted. To find out more about the FSC, please visit their website at: www.fsc.org.

So when it comes down to it, you can feel safe that you are purchasing an environmentally sound product from Erickson's that will enhance the beauty of any home and allow for the environment to prosper.

Sources: "Hardwood Flooring is Nature's Renewable Flooring Resource", by Ed Korczak Executive Director of the National Wood Flooring Association. National Floor Trends June 2004, www.Greenspirit.com, www.MuskokaFlooring.com, www.SomersetFloors.com, www.SmithFlooring.com.