The Cutting Edge Sustainable Forestry is a recently coined phrase that is intended to convey the message that forestry, like agriculture, can be done in a sustainable manner. Our hat goes off to the concept, but the reality is yet to arrive. A host of acronyms (FSC, SFI, PEFCC) are being used to reassure environmentally conscious consumers that the products they buy come from sustainably managed forests. The problem is that the forestry industry sets the standards, and of times certifies

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itself. At the rate they are going, it won't be long until all forest operations are certified as sustainable. At Vision Paper, we feel that now, more than ever, nonwood alternatives are needed to alleviate the pressure to cut trees, be they on national forests or on private lands.

Kenaf Industry News
AKS 2001 in Atlanta
The American Kenaf Society (AKS) will hold its next conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The conference is scheduled for November 15-17, 2001. This is a great opportunity to network with some of the world's foremost kenaf experts. The call for papers and registration information can be found on the American Kenaf Society web site www.kenafsociety.org.

Kafus Falters
The infant kenaf industry took a hit in August when Kafus Development went bankrupt. The highly visible Kafus had expressed high hopes and big plans for kenaf, as well as other environmentally oriented projects. Sources indicate that the financial problems they encountered were unrelated to the kenaf project in south Texas, which is proceeding, although at a somewhat slower pace. For the record, Vision Paper and KP Products Inc. were not financially affiliated with Kafus in any way. We do, however, regret this occurrence, since we all share a mutual desire to see kenaf become a mainstream source of environmentally preferable raw material for paper and other uses

Production Details:
Printed with soy ink on 100% kenaf tree-free, chlorine-free, acid-free, paper.
60# text.

Contact Info:
Vision Paper
PO Box 20399
Albuquerque, NM 87154-0399
(505) 294-0293 phone
(505) 294-7040 fax
info@visionpaper.com - email
www.visionpaper.com