Has the Irish joinery industry a case to answer? Perhaps it has. Ireland imports the equivalent of 30 acres of African forest each day - which raises a question about global ecology and our role in it.
The time has come to take responsibility, says Mr Tom Roche, an original member of Just Forests.
Mr Roche, who has spent a lifetime working with wood as a cabinet maker and furniture restorer, says that much of the wood coming into this State is drawn from uncertified forests - forests which are not managed properly with a view to restoration, replacement and the overall health of the ecosystem.
Now the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is to be extended to Ireland. The organisation, says Mr Roche, "promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests."
The FSC is an international, independent, non-governmental agency founded in 1993. It has produced 10 principles and criteria for forest management, covering such issues as environmental impact, tenure, community benefit and indigenous rights.
LAST January an Irish FSC steering committee was established to apply the organisation's principles to Ireland's afforestation programme. A draft document will be ready for public perusal towards the end of this year and a final version will be submitted to the FSC for endorsement.
Once the new standards are accepted they will become the minimum requirement for FSC certification in Ireland.
"Since our foundation in September 1989, Just Forests (then known as Irish Woodworkers for Africa) has always taken a livelihood approach to development issues affecting the world's forests," Mr Roche says.
"Just Forests believes that everyone who depends on wood for their livelihood has an obligation to secure the long-term survival of the timber trade by ensuring that the wood they use comes from well-managed forests."
He says there are now 145 forest sites in 27 countries independently assessed by FSC-accredited certifiers. More than 12 million hectares have been certified, including tropical, temperate and boreal forests.
The FSC initiative in Ireland includes a cross-section of interest groups, including Coillte, the Irish Timber Council, the Society of Irish Foresters, the Irish Timber Growers' Association and the Woodlands of Ireland organisation.
"All the major players in the forestry industry have come on board. It's a significant development and it means we have secured a commitment to guarantee the better management of forests here at home.
"There is concern about the species mix in Irish forests and that is one of the issues which will be addressed by the FSC. The focus will also be to ensure that the management of our forests will be more amenable to the protection of wildlife. This is an important initiative and one that I think will have far-reaching implications throughout the State.
"Of course, the other aim is to make sure that the Irish joinery industry will accept wood only from certified and well-managed forests," Mr Roche says.