Anchoring cities to forests

15.03.2022. Urban forests can transform cities into healthier places to live, not ‘just’ thanks to trees, but also through wood products for furniture and construction.

The future grows with wood

17.02.2022. One month into the new year, wood has turned into the cornerstone of future lifestyles. The ‘digital Neanderthal’ humans have as much of a tendency towards cool technology as they have a compelling desire for coziness, warm materials. In short: high-tech, high-touch – and wood is the natural choice.

For the love of tropical forests: INTERHOLCO at Gembloux JobDAY

14.02.2022. INTERHOLCO brought tropical forests to Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (University of Liège) on the occasion of Gembloux JobDAY. Last 18 November, the not-to-be-missed event brought together more than 200 forest management students, some of whom freshly graduated in forestry, agronomy and environment, returning for the first time after the 2020 pause.

Central African Forests Forever, the book that grows like a tree, downloadable for free in English, French and Chinese

29.11.2021. Dutch writer Meindert Brouwer has reviewed and expanded his 'Central African Forests Forever', an all-round must-read on Congo Basin natural tropical forests. The book comprises 17 new chapters about opportunities and solutions for their conservation and sustainable use.

Forests for all, forever our way forward

09.11.2021. The Republic of the Congo has a plan: co-creating solutions together with investors and natural tropical forests, not just for COP26 but well beyond. The way forward at bird’s eye view: (1.) Carbon positive forestry is possible in the Congo Basin. (2.) Together, we should compensate Africa’s forests. (3.) Forest and climate finance should share benefits with host countries and local communities.

Certified wood, my sustainable design ally

27.08.2021. Wood is the only building material that ensures it comes from responsibly managed sources, in this case forests.

INTERHOLCO first in SPOTT-on assessment of forest solutions for people and planet

24.06.2021. Deforestation and forest degradation are non-negotiables: millions of us depend on how far we are ready to go, to protect our forests i.e. our climate, our health, our food, our water, not to mention some of the world’s most extraordinary plants and animals. 

Talking wood: "Our wood can tell where it’s from"

18.06.2021. When our wood products reach the port of delivery, their marking allows for identification of the supply, all the way to the forest of origin. This is known as, traceability.

Supporting customers with trust

26.05.2021. In December 2020, INTERHOLCO passed the FSC® audit, which took place in the field. 'At INTERHOLCO, we strive for honesty, integrity,'says Tom van Loon, Head of Sustainability, INTERHOLCO. 'We place utmost importance on successful long-term partnerships with our suppliers and customers.'

Sustainable Hardwood – Made in Africa, good for forest, people and planet

05.06.2021. A forest is more than a question of trees. People live in and from it, shaping their survival, identity and beliefs around it. At the same time, a forest is home to hundreds of species of animals and trees; it feeds water basins, stocks carbon and regulates rain regimes which affect far away countries.

Listening to forest peoples to deliver solutions

24.05.2021. In Baka language ‘Musungui’ means, ‘to help one another’. The spirit of ‘Musungui’ is what best describes INTERHOLCO’s ALLIANCE: the ability to deliver solutions, joining forces. One of the solutions is, in fact, listening. Listening makes it possible to pinpoint key factors, measures that need to be improved at strategy level. 

Friends of the forest 2/2

21.05.2021. As agreed with the Congolese state, owner of the parks as well as of the Ngombé forest, INTERHOLCO is required to secure the area against unauthorised settlement, illegal harvesting, poaching, bushmeat trade and irreversible change.

Talking wood: ‘Conservation is only possible if we have a good relationship with the communities’

22.04.2021. INTERHOLCO works in synergy with the state eco-guards. Close cooperation between the state and the private sector for sustainable wildlife management is an arrangement which is unique to the Republic of Congo, as researchers from the University of Liège have recently illustrated.

Friends of the Forest 1/2

19.04.2021. “Conservation is only possible if we have a good relationship with the communities.”José Blanchard BOKANDZA could not have made his approach clearer: “The communities are the first custodians of the forest. Because they are the ones who depend on it in their daily life.”

Fishing on the river Kandeko

22.03.2021. The fish is huge, its dimensions giving it the appearance of a predator: « We call itnina in Lingala. It's the electric fish, » the lady explains. Electric catfish (scientific name Malapterurus electricus) are a freshwater fish, commonly found in many African rivers and lakes, including those of the Congo basin.

Talking wood: "The forest means everything to my home and family"

21.03.2021.On the occasion of International Day of Forests (21 March), "Sustainable Hardwood – Made in Africa” delivers a message of crucial importance: the forest is more than just trees. She is the mother and source of traditional healing for the local communities and indigenous peoples who have interacted with her over the course of thousands of years. 

Objects of art on a mission: a closer look at Africa’s ‘Forest dwellers’

23.02.2021.According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), between 2000 and 2010, large-scale commercial agriculture (generally related to cattle ranching and the cultivation of soya bean and oil palm) accounted for 40% of tropical deforestation, and local subsistence agriculture another 33%.

Africa’s forest dwellers win Conversations about Climate Change competition

15.02.2021. Gorillas, Bongos, Forest elephants and Chimpanzees team up with British architect Tom Wilson in ‘Forest dwellers’, one of the winners of the Conversations about Climate Change competition. Is it possible to sustainably harvest timber and natural products, contributing to ethical and sustainable economies, as well as safeguarding habitats, biodiversity and the health of the Earth? The four Forest Dwellers have been conceived to ask this very question.

Drumming up inspiration for positive change

08.02.2021. With New Year just weeks away, many are drumming up inspiration to let what matters come to the forefront. What are we most proud of? INTERHOLCO's performance in 2020, ranked number 1 in the world by SPOTT in the field of tropical forestry. However, the task remains still very big.

Diverse, interdependent, together: an ALLIANCE to safeguard the future of African natural forests

15.10.2020. To relate to a forest, is to relate to a country and its inhabitants. To the people, with their culture. Their dreams and aspirations, as much as their shortcomings and concerns. Relationships never stop being a work in progress. Dealing with a forest is no exception. We can become more intelligent and wiser, and over time, more fertile, if we work with others to reinvent the way of our future.

Working together for forests and people: the Congolese Minister of Tourism and Environment, Ms. Arlette Soudan-Nonault visits IFO

03.08.2020. The Minister of Tourism and Environment, Ms. Arlette Soudan-Nonault, visited the Industrie Forestière de Ouesso (IFO) in the Sangha Department, in the North of the Republic of Congo on August 3^rd, 2020.

INTERHOLCO has pride of place in SPOTT’s State of Transparency 2020, leading 100 timber and pulp and paper companies worldwide

27.07.2020. Because our products give access to life-changing benefits to a community of 10’000 people in one of Congo’s most landlocked regions. Because our resources are vitally important living wonders.  Because our forest protection means that anything, from a mushroom to an elephant, should thrive in their natural habitat.  We know, and care about, forests. And it shows.

INTERHOLCO’s laminated scantlings, high-performing products to make you project proud

16.06.2020. Exterior or interior projects require a strong, stable, long-lasting material. You like wood, but do not want to harm the forest? We love forests, too!And so do our wood products. INTERHOLCO brings you finger-jointed laminated scantlings that won’t cost the Earth. Our new brochure shows how.

Rescuing dwarf crocodiles from the clutches of poachers

25.05.2020. Behind his blue mask, the eco-guard is smiling: lying in the back of his pick-up under the scorching sun, 40 dwarf crocodiles are about to be set free. Before being released back in the river Sangha, they need rehydrating with a water sprinkle. With their muzzle tied up, they are lucky to be still alive. ‘That could show that the young crocodiles, a partially protected species in Congo, were not just destined for slaughter on the local market of Ouesso but rather, smuggling,’ argues José Blanchard Bokandza.

Earth Day: Leave no one behind in the face of COVID-19

22.04.2020. This year, tv channel ARTE celebrates International Earth Day with a new broadcast of 'Congo, Protecting the Gorilla Forests'. Filmed in the North of Congo Brazzaville, partly in the forest which INTERHOLCO manages sustainably, the documentary won Germany's prestigious nature film prize for 2019, the coveted Deutscher NaturfilmPreis.

Sustainable Hardwood to celebrate forests and protect biodiversity

20.03.2020.The United Nations proclaimed 21 March International Day of Forests and this year shines a light on Forests and Biodiversity. INTERHOLCO offers Sustainable Hardwood 'Made in Africa' as a solution to not only promote better living conditions (construction with wood), but also to reduce climate change, increase social justice and keep forests protected from permanent change to agriculture.

The wood that keeps forest children safe

11.02.2020. Forests worldwide are known to be rich in stories, legends and myths; places hosting unusual turns and transformations. As the most densely wooded part of Africa, the Congo Basin forest is definitely no exception. Many of its plants and trees hold cultural and spiritual values.

INTERHOLCO’s production site speaks Chinese in the latest translation of Meindert Brouwer’s ‘Central African Forests Forever’

Securing gorillas in the Congo awarded with Germany’s highest Nature Film Prize

08.10.2019. ‘Paradise Preserved: Congo – Protecting the Gorilla Forests’, the film which Thomas Weidenbach produced for ARTE, received Germany’s Nature Film Prize on Saturday 5 October 2019. Commissioned by tv-channel ARTE, known to air cultural programmes, the film was broadcast at the end of June.

Engaged for climate, people and wildlife: INTERHOLCO ranks 1st in SPOTT’s 2019 assessment

31.07.2019.For the third year in a row, INTERHOLCO leads SPOTT’s assessment of timber companies with consistent engagement for the climate, people and wildlife.

#Sustainable #Hardwood #MadeinAfrica protects the forest

13.05.2019. Forests worldwide are a public good and forestry students often wonder how far private timber companies are prepared to go, to preserve and maintain natural forests. Mr. Ulrich Grauert, INTERHOLCO’s CEO, showed students worldwide how INTERHOLCO walks the talk, during a webinar hosted by the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) on 16 April 2019.

Protecting the gorilla forest in the Republic of Congo

Introducing our contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

26.03.2019. Companies do play a critical role in helping achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and INTERHOLCO is no exception. In 2015, the United Nations introduced 17 Sustainable Development Goals. For the first time, governments agreed that the challenges international society faces, including those related to poverty, hunger, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, peace and justice were interconnected and that each sector had a contribution to make.

IFO's women employees, standing on their own two feet

08.03.2019. Decision-makers, professionally engaged, devoted to their family: women working for IFO celebrate International Women’s Day with a half-day of paid leave, in recognition of their value as committed employees and mothers.

Political, financial and economic strategies critical to fight deforestation

04.03.2019. Management of forests – especially natural tropical forests – is environmentally and socially superior, but economically inferior to any other land use which destroys the forest. In a world economy which is measuring viability almost exclusively on return on investment, this economic inferiority of managed forests is the key challenge which must be addressed and reversed.

African voices have their say on how to keep Central African Forests Forever

05.02.2019. With around 120 million people critically depending on the Congo Basin forests for their livelihood, it is baffling how the narrative on tropical forests belongs to voices from the Northern Hemisphere, mostly. With ‘Central African Forests Forever’, Dutch author Meindert Brouwer has finally bridged the gap.

Sustainable Hardwood – Made in Africa: the year in advance

17.01.2019. A change of heart is what tropical forests need. That is, if their unique biodiversity is to continue thriving; if precious services such as water cycle, rain regime and climate regulation are to be ensured for the planet and, if millions are to enjoy a peaceful life right where they live, i.e. in the natural forests of the Congo Basin - one of the world’s most precious wonders.

SNCF, champion of Sustainable Hardwood, Made in Africa

12.11.2018. INTERHOLCO Sustainable Hardwood – Made in Africa, and the Paris-based SNCF lead the way in making choices that won't cost the Earth.

Gorilla-human cohabitation is key on World Gorilla Day

24.09.2018. On 24th September the world celebrates World Gorilla Day. Next time you take one of INTERHOLCO’s wood products, look at it as the result of careful selection and sustainable practices that are key in protecting gorilla in the wild, a glorious species with whom we share 98% of our DNA.

Sustainable Forest Management, the ‘best land-use’ for Congo Basin’s ‘Natural Capital’

27.08.2018. Agriculture, mining and conventional logging stand among the major drivers of deforestation, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO,  State of the World’s Forests 2016). That is because those land-uses are often believed to have more economic allure, compared to Sustainable Forest Management (SFM). But is that really so?

Field mission confirms satellite detection of forest fire South of the IFO forest

07.08.2018. Following WRI/UMD Glad fire warnings in the very South of the IFO Forest Management Unit (FMU) Ngombé, in the Republic of Congo, a joint IFO-PROGEPP field mission took place from 29 June to 5 July 2018.

From know-how to show-how: Interholco leads SPOTT’s assessment of timber companies with higher transparency

31.07.2018. Interholco outperformed in SPOTT’s worldwide transparency assessment of timber companies for the second year in a row, with a score of 93.4%.

Monitoring of the open Marantaceae forests in Northern Congo to understand their origins and dynamics

28.06.2018. A Working Group on Forest Fires in Open Marantaceae Forests was launched by Interholco in early 2016, to see how best to address the impact of extreme drought and fire on open canopy Marantaceae forests located in the Forest Management Unit (FMU) that the company manages in the Republic of Congo.

Protecting the integrity of Intact Forest Landscapes in the Congo Basin

20.06.2018. Over the past two years, Interholco and IFO participated in the High Conservation Values Regional Working Group for the Congo Basin (HCV-RWG) to find a solution for the protection and management of Intact Forest Landscapes (IFL).

Interholco urges for Action Plan to support sustainable management in tropical natural forests

20.02.2018. Interholco CEO Ulrich Grauert addressed over 300 participants in the conference ‘Working across Sectors to Halt Deforestation and Increase Forest Area - from Aspiration to Action’.

Interholco supports ‘Fair & Precious’ brand for certified African wood companies

14.11.2017. Green consumers, look no further: Interholco is proud to support the new ‘Fair and Precious’ brand, launched in Paris on 8 November 2017.

Interholco ranks 1st in ESG assessment of timber, pulp and paper companies

10.11.2017. 'We are delighted to have done so well in SPOTT’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) assessment of timber, pulp and paper companies which values the engagement and efforts of our teams ,’ said Interholco CEO Ulrich Grauert.

Interholco launches its first Sustainability Report

09.10.2017.Sustainable hardwood specialist Interholco presents its first Sustainability Report: the data collected and analyzed cover the years 2014 to 2016.

A Way Forward For The Future of Central African Forests

31.05.2017.Over 140 participants attended a conference on The future of Central African Forest and its people in The Hague, to share lessons learned and look for a way forward together with representatives of the Dutch government, social and environmental NGOs, academia and the private sector.

Expert group leads to better understanding of open Marantaceae Forests in the North of Congo

12.05.2017. It is important to distinguish open Marantaceae forests, known best for the habitat they provide to elephants and gorillas, from other forest types.