THE SFI FOREST MANAGEMENT STANDARD

These requirements include measures to help protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk and forests with exceptional conservation value. The SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard applies to any organization in the United States or Canada that owns or manages forestlands.

SFI‑certified organizations who own or manage forestland are certified to the SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard (Section 2, SFI 2022 Standards and Rules). To be certified, forest operations must undergo independent audits by competent and accredited certification bodies.

SFI is committed to continuously improve responsible forest management. SFI‑certified organizations must meet or exceed applicable water quality laws and regulations, with measures to manage and protect water wetlands and riparian zones on certified lands. They must continually evaluate habitat and biodiversity impacts from forest activities – which leads to improved habitat quality, and protection of imperiled or critically imperiled species.

SFI‑certified organizations must comply with the comprehensive forestry laws that apply to them in the United States and Canada, and practice responsible forestry on their certified lands.

SFI is committed to improving the practice of forestry on all forestlands in North America, whether boreal forests or plantation forests, whether naturally regenerated or planted. Its philosophy is that healthy, productive forests yield immense environmental, social and economic benefits, and mitigate the impacts of climate change by absorbing and storing carbon in trees, soil, and biomass.

The SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard includes a new objective to recognize and respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights. This objective reflects existing SFI forest management requirements regarding respect for Indigenous and Tribal rights and values on public lands, but now has enhanced provisions for private lands.

In the introduction to the SFI 2022 Standards and Rules, SFI recognizes and adopts the principles outlined in the United Nations Declaration for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. SFI–certified organizations are encouraged to communicate and collaborate with local Indigenous and Tribal groups in order to better understand their traditional practices with respect to forest management.