TiERRA Del Fuego: Trillium' s

TIERRA DEL FUEGO: TRILLRJM'S ENVIRONMENTAL PROMISE

David Syre has no time to rest. The chairman, president and owner of Trillium Corporation has been in his office only three days during the month ofApril because of numerous meetings and visits to ongoing projects around the map. Most recently, Syre has focused on Trillium’s Rio Condor project—625,000 acres of newly acquired land off the southern tip of Chile on the island of Tierra del Fuego.

Trillium has been criticized in the past for clear-cut logging practices, but this time Syre expects things to be different. He says Forestal Trillium Ltda.—the company that Trillium set up to manage this new land—is determined to do things right.

I asked David Syre, Jean Gorton (Vice-President ofPlanning and Public Relations), and Gordon Iverson (\fice President ofForest Resources), exactly how things are going to be different in Chile. They said that they will: • Follow the recommendations of Dr. Harold Schmidt of the University of Chile, who has spent 15 years studying the forests of Tierra del Fuego. Dr Schmidt has developed a lenga silviculture program (the practice of growing and tending forests) with a 100 to 120 year rotation, no clear-cutting and no introduction ofimported species. • Work with an independent trustee. This land steward is local attorney and Fairhaven professor Rand Jack. “Since Rand is not a forester and our people are, he is there to question procedures that we may assume are elementary but are of great concern to the public and must be explained,’’ Gordon Iverson said. “Rand could be considered a representative of the public; he is there to ask questions offer suggestions and keep an eye on Forestal Trillium’s involvement.’’ • Extend an invitation for an institutional steward. “The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has taken a look at the project but has not committed to anything to date,’’ Jean Gorton said. Rand Jack added that the WWF is as yet internally split on their decision for involvement, and that he plans a meeting with their leadership in Washington D.C. • Work within the Chilean government’s forestry guidelines.

• Work with an independent commission of seven Chilean scientists from three Chilean universities to conduct ecological studies of the area, and provide for ongoing monitoring of the area. • Hire personnel to maintain an understanding of changing ecological issues. • Obey the set Stewardship Principles they signed when undertaking the Rio Condor Project, written and described by Fairhaven professor and Bellingham lawyer Rand Jack as a “reasonable and demanding set of guidelines.’’ It appears, if this approach is strictly adhered to, that development of this pristine land will challenge local and international environmental groups to justify any criticism their interference. Bob Keller, a Fairhaven professor and local historian who’s taken a close look at Trillium’s activities in the past, is impressed by Trillium’s seeming willingness to adhere to a more responsible approach. “The bottom line of the Rio Condor Project, like any other, is profit, so sometimes things are overlooked and fall by the wayside. But let’s give Trillium credit for asking so many questions.” Even though the area is largely unstudied and many uncertainties remain, Gordon Iverson defended the integrity of the project. “There David Syre, owner of Trillium. have been no organized mental groups that have environtaken action to oppose development, but there have been individual protesters who have voiced their opinions. These individuals are against development because of the lack of comprehensive studies of the area, which we are trying to begin,” Iverson said during a telephone interview. Jean Gorton seemed excited about the Chileans’ enthusiasm for the project. “Locals have given the Rio Condor Project a receptive attitude. We are using Chileans whenever possible. Forestal Trillium has two local offices in Chile, one in Santiago and another in Punta Arenas, the majority staffed with Chileans.” Iverson later added, “Forestal Trillium has around 40 to 50 people working down there and usually only one American is present—myself or Bob Brinn [Vice-President ofOperations].” The government also has given incentives for foreign investors, in the form ofthe Navarino Law. This law applies only to Tierra del Fuego and gives a five-year partial tax