About TFT

Established in 1999, The Forest Trust (formerly Tropical Forest Trust) is a non-profit international organisation seeking to address the problem of deforestation by working with companies and communities and help them trade Forest Responsible Products.
TFT does that by working in supply chains to set up traceability systems and assist producers towards sustainable forest management.

TFT member companies are committed to sourcing wood from TFT forest projects and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified forests. We are funded through a combination of member contributions, grants, contracts and donations.

Vision
Mission
Objectives
Strategy

Vision

A world in which threatened forests are conserved, providing livelihoods for over 800 million people and habitat for half of all terrestrial animal and plant species, and storing billions of tonnes of carbon that would otherwise fuel global warming.

Mission

To help ensure that forests are managed for their long-term future and to maximise their value to people, wildlife and the environment. We support forest projects with expert advice, and by linking them to responsible buyers committed to sourcing sustainable timber and other responsible forest products.
We seek to make trade in sustainable timber standard practice by raising awareness of the importance of endangered forests, demonstrating the benefits of responsible trade, and sharing our unique practical experience.

Objectives

To expand the area of forest that is independently certified as well-managed, and ensure that responsible products from those forests find markets.

Strategy

In order to pursue TFT mission and objectives we follow a strategy built on the following strategic programmes:

  • Forests Projects Programme to help specific forests (Community forests, Natural forests, Plantations)  become independently certified as well-managed under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) scheme.
  • Forest Responsible Products, we work with companies and communities helping them make sure the products they trade in are not damaging the forest.
  • Client Services Programme to support TFT Members trading in wood products. We link their supply chains to well managed forests, and help them to verify that no other wood is used in their products.
  • Member Recruitment Programme to expand TFT's capacity to support forest projects in producer countries, and to increase the proportion of internationally traded wood products trade that is based on ‘good wood'.
  • Communications Programme to help make trade in sustainably produced wood standard practice by raising awareness of the importance of endangered  forests, demonstrating the benefits of responsible trade, and sharing our unique practical experience.
  • Co-funding programme to supplement our forest projects with the resources they need to become models of best environmental and social practice. It also funds additional forest projects that are not linked to our members' supply chains.
  • FSC Support Programme offering strategic support to FSC International.
  • Business Administration Programme that ensures our human resources, financial and legal arrangements operate to the highest professional standard as TFT expands worldwide.

More about TFT

‘Tropical forests are a critical resource in terms of rural livelihoods, biodiversity and carbon storage, but they are disappearing. So I welcome the Tropical Forest Trust's practical, business-led approach to protecting some of the richest and most threatened of those forests while helping rural people to improve their lives. Their combination of technical expertise and close links with industry and environmental groups is remarkable. It's a great model and one that I would urge all companies that trade in tropical wood to follow.'


Ed Balls MP and Former Economic Secretary to the UK Treasury

A Forest Story - Sustainable Forest Management