If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? If a tree is illegally chopped and stolen from a forest and no one is around to see it, does it leave an impact on our planet?
Trees, which filter carbon dioxide and produce oxygen for us to breathe, are some of our strongest defenses to climate disruption. But they're disappearing, due in part to illegal logging and trade in illegally cut timber. In some of the most vulnerable countries, as much as 50-90% of all logging activity is done illegally, depleting priceless forests.
The Lacey Act helps curb illegal logging, and therefore climate disruption, and creates jobs in the U.S. forest products industry by eliminating illegal and unfair competition.
Ask your representative to support full funding and strong implementation of the Lacey Act!
Subject: Stand by the Lacey Act!
Dear [Decision Maker],
The Lacey Act and its 2008 amendments, which ban illegal trade of timber and wood products, is one of the most successful laws we have to protect forests and combat deforestation, address climate change, and support U.S. jobs and a healthy economy. The Lacey Act has my full support, and I hope it has yours, too.
Signed into law in 1900, the Lacey Act bans the import of illegally trafficked wildlife species. When Congress expanded the law in 2008 to cover plants, the U.S. became the first country to ban illegal trade of timber and wood products. And the results have been impressive.
By prohibiting trade in illegally harvested timber, the Lacey Act helps reduce deforestation and illegal logging--both major contributors to climate change. By supporting trade in legal wood products, the Lacey Act limits millions of dollars in losses that governments and businesses suffer due to illegal practices, and helps level the playing field for legitimate businesses and for the health of the world's forests.
As your constituent who cares deeply about the protection of nature and the health of our forests, climate, and economy, I am counting on you to offer your full support of the Lacey Act and its 2008 amendments.
