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<h2><a href="sled-wood.html">Native Wood</a> from Sustainably Managed Forests instead of Tropical Wood with a Hallmark </h2>
<h3>The virgin forests in the Tropics, Canada and Russia are being plundered by the global wood industry. Can hallmarks for sustainable utilisation help? </h3>
<p>If the destruction of these primeval forests continues at the current pace, they will have vanished down to the last tree in under a century. Slash-and-burn land clearance and subsequent soil erosion through inappropriate farming techniques are the main cause, responsible for 80% of the ravages. In addition, there are housing schemes and large-scale energy projects. Not least of all, however, the wood industry bears a share of the responsibility. “The international wood industry is playing an ever-increasing role here, and in many regions is already the number-one cause of destruction”, according to a statement issued by Greenpeace. </p>
<p>Thurgauer Wald In this context, there is much talk of certified wood, of an eco-label for tropical wood from allegedly sustainably managed sources, with the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) hallmark leading the way. This approach is being backed by WWF and Greenpeace, with the injection of a great deal of money. According to the experts, however, this plan has a number of major snags. In his book Noahs Arche Heute (‘Noah’s Ark Today’), for instance, Dietrich J. Weder asks: “Who can keep tabs on certified timber throughout its long journey from the depths of the virgin forest, over the oceans and into the furniture and construction markets of the North?” In addition, he maintains that “Whether or not tropical rainforests can actually be managed sustainably and how we would go about doing this is, at the end of the day, a moot point.” Moreover, owing to the enormous transport distances involved, even certified tropical wood squanders huge amounts of non-renewable energy. </p>
<p>Despite all this, many retail chains are replacing native, for-the-most-part very ecologically responsible wood products with cheaper ‘eco-label’ woods from distant countries. As a company that manufactures wood products, what is our stance on this? The use of tropical woods – whether from certified plantations or illegal over-exploitation – is completely out of the question for us. For our sledges, for example, we buy nothing but local ash wood. “I want to know what forest this tree stood in”, Ernst Graf, Senior was wont to say years ago. Today, we’re still known for this by the Thurgau forest enterprises – over 90% of which, by the way, are FSC-certified. </p>
<p>We ourselves see no point in participating in the FSC hallmark programme, as it would mean falling short of our own ecological standards and supporting organisations which promote worldwide trade in tropical woods in an irresponsible manner. Whether it’s for making furniture, flooring, or sport sledges, no application justifies the use of trees from virgin forests. In any case, native wood offers a complete solution.</p>
<h1>Luges</h1>
<p>Z-series</p>
<ul>
<li> <a href="luge/zseries.php">Sporting and spare time rodel</a>, equals to the regulations on nature track races. Also avialable as attractive FUN- Version. </li>
</ul>
<p><a href="luge/swissracer.php">Swiss racer</a></p>
<ul>
<li>A light weight, nimble version of the Z-series luge. </li>
</ul>
<p>Rodel junior-racer </p>
<ul>
<li><a href="luge/junior.php">A sporting version of the Z-Series sled</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p>Family flizzer</p>
<ul>
<li> <a href="luge/family.php">The luge suitable for all ages</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p>Hillracer Ice Luge </p>
<ul>
<li> A <a href="luge/hillracer.php">quality foldable luge</a> with excellent driving characteristics. </li>
</ul>
<h1>Sleds</h1>
<p><a href="sleds/davoser.php">Davos Sled</a></p>
<ul>
<li> The classic Swiss sled </li>
</ul>
<p><a href="sleds/grindelwalder.php">Grendelwald Sled</a></p>
<ul>
<li>The classic with through-mortise seat construction. </li>
</ul>
<p><a href="sleds/kinderschlitten.php">Children’s Sled </a></p>
<ul>
<li>The sledding fun for children up to 47 inch tall. </li>
</ul>
<p>Ram Horn </p>
<ul>
<li>Excellent <a href="sleds/hoernerschlitten.php">value wooden sled</a> with circular runners and comfortable woven seat.</li>
</ul>
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