Mission Breakdown | Whole Forest – Page 2

We Believe Conserving Tropical Rainforests Has a Global Impact

Deforestation is responsible for nearly 15% of the carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. Ecuador’s coastal rainforests are among the most threatened forests in the world. Clear-cutting has lead these ecosystems to be reduced to less than 10% of their original range. Yet, this region remains one of the most biodiverse areas of the world. In collaboration with surrounding foundations, we intend to protect the Chocó Wet Forest, one of the last remaining habitats for a host of rare and endangered species.

A Part of the Community: Henry Avila

Whole Forest’s head carpenter, Henry Avila, is the person that oversees the construction of our products. As a boy and teenage Henry worked on his family’s land near Cristobal Colon, Ecuador clearing the forest for subsistence agriculture. When Henry was a young adult he moved to the capitol city, Quito, aspiring for a better life. He worked several low paying factory and service jobs. As he tells it, he lived in an icy cinderblock room with his wife and young daughter in the far north of the city. The commute to work was often more than two hours one-way and started at 4:00 am in Quito’s 9,000 feet morning chill.

Devaluation of Tropical Forests By Hardwood Industry

The tropical hardwood industry is a major contributor to rainforest destruction. Tropical forests are exceptionally diverse–a recent estimate suggests there are between 40,000 and 53,000 tree species globally. However, the forest products industry provides a decent market for only a small handful of these species.

The Dangerous Incentive to Clear-Cut

In the 1970's, the Ecuadorian government freely offered their citizens the right to claim vacant land, thus encouraging a steady stream homesteaders to carve out a new life in the North Western rainforests of Ecuador. Families traveling to the Canandé watershed...

Conceptualizing Carbon-Negative Products

Whole Forest produces carbon negative wood products. Our customers are motivated to take action towards reducing climate change, so we offer them a large reduction in their carbon footprint through a carbon offset based on the carbon emissions prevented by bringing additional forests under long-term conservation. Each purchase allows the business to expand its area of conservation based on the financial return to the forest generated by the product sale. Whole Forest not only transfers the carbon benefit to our clients, but we can quantify the number of tons of carbon a purchase has helped us achieve.