SFI BLOG

Most news articles involving the Endangered Species Act (ESA) describe proposals to list species as threatened or endangered, or the decline of those already listed. In October, a decision by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (F&WS) offered some positive news: The population of the gopher tortoise in the southeastern United States is robust in most of its range and is no longer a candidate for listing as threatened under the ESA.

A commitment to 30x30, an initiative calling on the world’s governments to designate 30 percent of Earth’s land and ocean as protected areas by 2030, was among four goals and 23 targets for achievement of the 15th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15). Nearly 200 nations attended the event, held in Montreal, Canada.

As we look forward to the holidays and the New Year, it is my pleasure to share with you some of SFI’s many successes over the past 12 months as we continued to advance sustainability and nature-positive outcomes in collaboration with our impressive network.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) recently determined that populations of the gopher tortoise in the southeastern United States are stable or expanding in most of its range and is no longer a candidate for listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Both private and public forestlands certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) are playing a key role in the recovery of the tortoise.

September 26–30, 2022 is Truth and Reconciliation Week, and September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is also Orange Shirt Day, an initiative started by residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad, Northern Secwepemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation, to raise awareness of residential schools and spread the message that every child matters.

A recent grant to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is bearing fruit in West Virginia. Or rather, birds. With the aid of the grant, SFI is working with federal, state, private, university, and non-governmental organizations with a shared goal of researching best practices that benefit bird species, especially three at-risk bird species: the golden-winged warbler, the cerulean warbler, and the wood thrush.

The theme of this year’s National Forest Week (September 18–24, 2022), “Canada’s Forests: Solutions for a Changing Climate,” offers a timely reminder of the importance of trees and forests to the nation and the world. At the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), we and our network of partners know forests play a critical role in addressing climate change and storing carbon.

The annual conference’s theme was Collaborating for Communities and Forests, so it’s fitting that the conference also played host to its first SFI Conference Green Mentor cohort. Nineteen young adults were selected from across North America to participate in this four-month mentorship opportunity.

Consumer preferences for paper packaging are strengthening the circular economy, said Michael P. Doss, president and CEO of Graphic Packaging International, in his keynote address at the 2022 SFI Annual Conference in June.

Randy Moore, Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, discusses partnering with SFI on climate change, wildfire risk, and sustaining healthy, resilient landscapes for generations to come.