A Northwoods forester is known internationally for his work in South America and is a founding member of the Forest Stewardship Council, which certifies forests as well-managed. Robert Simeone of Land O' Lakes has worked for more than 35 years to sustain forests.
In the first of a two part interview with Ken Krall, Simeone talks about his work in South America, potential danger for the planet in the Amazon and the Forest Sustainability Council...
Robert Simeone of Land O' Lakes. Tomorrow at 7:45 a.m. we'll here the second part of the interview where he talks about sustainable forests in the Northwoods.
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A Northwoods forester is known internationally for his work in South America and is a founding member of the Forest Stewardship Council, which certifies forests as well-managed. Robert Simeone of Land O' Lakes has worked for more than 35 years to sustain forests in South America and the Northwoods. His work in Brazil helped lead to a 10 year path where the critical Amazon rain forest habitat was preserved more. Under a new leader there, Simeone says that trend has been reversed and more rain forest is being cut.
His fear is that soon the ecosystem will not be repairable...
"All the sequestered carbon which is held in the Amazon which is 200 billion tons, if you just look at the carbon that is contained in the standing forest is being released. The concern is we'll reach a tipping point which is expected at this rate which is expected to occur in the next 5-10 years...."
At that point, the climate will have changed enough, he says, that the forest will convert naturally to savannahs, and one of the earth's main ecosystems for survival will be critically damaged.
The Forest Stewardship Council which is an independent, non-profit organization that protects forests for future generations. The organization sets standards under which forests and companies are certified.
