{"id":18655,"date":"2011-12-12T18:38:26","date_gmt":"2011-12-12T18:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/162.217.168.59\/?p=18655"},"modified":"2023-03-22T16:23:45","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T20:23:45","slug":"forest-certification-pilot-achieves-success-in-maine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forests.org\/fr\/forest-certification-pilot-achieves-success-in-maine\/","title":{"rendered":"Forest Certification Pilot Achieves Success in Maine 1.4 Million Acres\/570,000 Hectares Certified to SFI Standard"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON<\/strong> \u2013 An innovative pilot project involving Time Inc., Hearst Enterprises, National Geographic Society,\u00a0Verso Paper Corp. and Sappi Fine Paper North America has led to 790,000 acres\/320,000 hectares of additional forest\u00a0lands being certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative\u00ae (SFI\u00ae) Standard in Maine.<\/p>\n

The pilot was an extension of an earlier project involving Time Inc., Hearst Enterprises, Verso Paper Corp., Sappi Fine\u00a0Paper North America and NewPage Corporation that led to 620,000 acres\/250,000 hectares certified to the SFI 2010-\u00a02014 Standard in 2010 \u2013 bringing the total of additional lands certified to the SFI Standard to 1.4 million acres\/570,000\u00a0hectares.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe companies involved are among a growing number of corporate leaders who know certification is key to responsible\u00a0sourcing of forest products, and embrace credible standards such as SFI,\u201d SFI President and CEO Kathy Abusow said\u00a0today. \u201cAnd Maine is just a starting point \u2013 they are already looking for ways to expand supply options and promote\u00a0responsible forest practices by encouraging more landowners to certify their forests to the SFI Standard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Increasing demand for SFI-certified products is also fueled by the fact it is recognized by respected organizations around\u00a0the world, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the UK government\u2019s Central Point of Expertise on Timber, and\u00a0the Competition Bureau of Canada\u2019s Environmental Claims: A Guide for Industry and Advertisers. Just last month, the\u00a0SFI forest standard was endorsed by PEFC International.<\/p>\n

The first phase of the Maine pilot project improved access to SFI certification by creating a template so medium-sized\u00a0landowners could develop, implement and coordinate management plans in a simpler and more consistent manner. The\u00a0second phase included additional landowners and land managers such as Katahdin Forest Management LLC and Huber\u00a0Resources Corporation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pilot showed us how the SFI standard\u2019s training and outreach requirements can help us manage our lands\u00a0responsibly so our forests can deliver environmental values and support local jobs today and into the future,\u201d said Kenny\u00a0Fergusson, Maine woodlands forester for Huber Resources Corporation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through forest certification, forest operations meet requirements set out in an independent standard such as the SFI 2010-2014 Standard, and this is verified by a third-party audit. The SFI Standard is based on 14 core principles\u00a0that promote sustainable forest management,\u00a0including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and Forests with Exceptional\u00a0Conservation Value. About 10 million family forest owners account for more than 60 percent of private forest lands in the\u00a0United States. The State of Maine has more than seven million acres\/ 2.8 million hectares certified to the SFI Standard.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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