High Line Project Slammed For Using Rainforest Wood

by Michael dEstries July 13, 2009
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highline_wood

The celebrity-backed High Line project above the streets of New York City has come under fire for using wood logged from rainforests for park benches, bleachers and lounge chairs. A group called “Rainforests of New York” visited the recently opened first stage of the park and passed out information revealing the true nature of the wood. From the article,

“It is a sadly misguided notion that the chic, the exotic and the novel must be provided at the expense of the natural world,” one activist said. “Logging in old-growth forests anywhere on the planet is simply not sustainable, and any certification of this wood is just a moneymaking scheme.”

Cristina DeLuca, a Parks Department spokesperson, referred questions to Friends of the High Line, which designed the park. In an e-mail statement, Katie Lorah, a spokesperson for Friends of the High Line, said, “The ipê wood used on the High Line was chosen for its longevity and durability, and taken from a managed forest certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which is recognized by many major environmental organizations for creating and enforcing the world’s strongest standards for forest management.”

According to activists, however, the F.S.C. certification is not good enough — citing information where the council certifies logging in old-growth forests and tree farms that are ecologically unsound. For the next stages of the High Line, Rainforests of New York would like to see the group use recycled plastic lumber or sustainable domestic hardwoods. With a new eco-wood laundering scandal shaking Brazil, we hope the High Line takes their advice.

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About Michael dEstries

Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.

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http://RainforestsOfNewYork.org Tim Doody

Thanks Team Ecorazzi, for helping to expose the High Line’s needless destruction of the Amazon.

As I said in the Villager article, Friends of the High Line has turned one of today’s most anticipated public-works projects into a global advertisement for tropical deforestation. We must get them to use alternative materials for Stages 2 and 3 of their project, or risk countless copy-cat designers proposing the use of Amazon wood.

More info on how FSC-certified rainforest wood guts old growth tropical forests:
http://rainforestsofnewyork.org/alternatives/fsc-wood-guts-rainforests
Christine

Another Highline Park disappointment: No dogs allowed!?!

Dog-free grass zones found throughout the city draw my ire as it is, but to prohibit dogs from a park in its entirety is just ridiculous!
http://www.beforewisdom.com beforewisdom

As far back as 15 years ago I remember seeing *nice* benches made out of post-waste dump plastic in a shopping mall.

Somebody should tell the designers it is no longer 1956 and the world is not an inexhaustible resource anymore.

It is time for them to build with environmental responsibility.
krissy

The parks dept has a problem with using rainforest wood. People have been trying to change their practices for years…
http://www.beforewisdom.com beforewisdom

Dog-free grass zones found throughout the city draw my ire as it is, but to prohibit dogs from a park in its entirety is just ridiculous!

I can understand it. There are many negligent dog owners who don’t train their dogs well, take care of them, or even obey the leash laws. Those kind of dog owners are a bit like parents of small children.
They don’t understand why other people don’t appreciate the noise, mess, and being in the way of their little darlings.
s

there’s a park close to where i live that has beautiful benches, etc. made from recylced milk jugs & car tires. they’re beautiful and you’d never guess they weren’t wood.
http://www.remyc.com RemyC

The problem with recycled plastic lumber for benches, is that in the sun, they scorch like a hot stove! If anyone knows a recycled plastic lumber company which has come up with a polymer blend that does not absorb solar heat, please let us know.