Leading U.S. farm and forest products groups today called on Congress and the administration to help end tropical deforestation. The groups cited a new report showing that overseas agriculture and logging operations are expanding production by cutting down the world’s rainforests, allowing them to flood the world market with cheap commodities that undercut American goods. The report estimates that ending deforestation will boost revenue for U.S. producers by between $196-$267 billion by 2030 – approximately equivalent to the entire amount projected to be spent by farmers on energy during that time.

At a teleconference to release the report, The National Farmers Union, the American Forest & Paper Association, the United Steelworkers (representing forest products workers), and the Ohio Corn Growers Association called for the protection of tropical forests as part of comprehensive energy and climate legislation and other policies. They noted that the clearing and burning of tropical forests by unsustainable overseas agriculture industries produces more greenhouse gases than all the cars, trucks, tractors and farm equipment in the world combined.

“Saving rainforests isn’t just for treehuggers anymore,” said Fred Yoder of the Ohio Corn Growers Association, immediate past president of the National Corn Growers Association. “It is in all of our best interests to protect forests.”

“American farmers and ranchers know the importance of being good stewards of the land,” said National Farmers Union president Roger Johnson, who recently returned from a weeklong trip to Brazil where he studied the interaction between agriculture and deforestation. “With family farmers fighting to hold onto their land, we’ve got to make sure we’re not being undercut by irresponsible practices like deforestation.”

“Continued rampant illegal logging in tropical countries shows we need to strengthen law enforcement efforts to allow Americans to compete on a level playing field,” said Donna Harman, President of the American Forest & Paper Association. “At the same time, protecting tropical forests through offsets can provide an affordable way for the forest products industry and other manufacturers to keep energy costs affordable as we address climate change.”

According to the report, tropical forest offsets cut the cost of climate legislation by a quarter to a half. However, although the recently introduced American Power Act includes important provisions aimed at protecting tropical forests, it reduces both public funding and private incentives for tropical forest conservation.

“America is losing many thousands of jobs because of illegal logging and tropical deforestation at a time when instead we should be growing jobs here at home,” said Keith Romig, Strategic Issues Representative for the United Steelworkers. “Any climate policy that aims to protect American jobs also has to protect tropical forests.”

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