The global debate over forestry has been and remains unbalanced.

It is currently dominated by a small number of vocal environmental campaigners, predominantly in Western countries.

These campaigners have effectively shaped the global debate on forestry. They have distorted the perception of forests and forestry, portraying it as environmentally destructive and as a tool of capitalist enterprise that has little benefit for anyone.

Its targets have been forestry companies, particularly those operating in developing countries like Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the Congo Basin, as well as producers of forest products in emerging economies like China, Brazil and Chile.

Its victims have been the millions of people and communities in developing and developed countries dependent upon a productive forest industry for their livelihoods.

World Growth has been communicating the importance of forestry communities for almost two years now.

In that time we have spent time on the ground in countries like Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, seeing how forestry can improve economic conditions, build infrastructure and improve access to health and education facilities for rural communities.

We have met with families of foresters from Scandinavian countries who have been growing trees on the same land for generations – and are now being told they must prove they are growing them legally.

We have watched US and European companies launch massive lobbying efforts against forestry operations in South East Asia – simply because these emerging players are making forest and paper products better and more efficiently.

But worst of all, we have watched the facts on forestry and its benefits be continually distorted by campaign groups that pay lip service to economic development. Or they say they support sustainable forestry -- but only if it’s within their narrow definition.

Forests take decades to grow. Rebalancing the forestry debate may take just as long. The key to this is a steady flow of reliable and credible information. This new site aims to assist the global forest community – particularly in the developing world – rebalance the global debate on forestry.