{"id":18688,"date":"2012-09-12T22:04:59","date_gmt":"2012-09-12T22:04:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/162.217.168.59\/?p=18688"},"modified":"2023-03-22T15:53:54","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T19:53:54","slug":"capacity-promotes-certification-of-first-nations-lands-earns-sfi-presidents-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forests.org\/fr\/capacity-promotes-certification-of-first-nations-lands-earns-sfi-presidents-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Capacity Promotes Certification of First Nations Lands Earns SFI President\u2019s Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

MILWAUKEE, WI<\/strong> \u2013 A Canadian forestry management company has been\u00a0internationally recognized for working with First Nations forest landowners to\u00a0certify their lands and promote responsible forestry practices.\u00a0Capacity Forest Management received the Sustainable Forestry Initiative\u00ae (SFI\u00ae)\u00a0President\u2019s Award today at the SFI annual conference, The Future is Decided Now,\u00a0in Milwaukee, WI, attended by foresters, First Nations, government agencies and\u00a0conservationists.<\/p>\n

Capacity manages forestry operations for 17 First Nations clients\u00a0in British Columbia, partnering with them to balance cultural priorities with the\u00a0need for economically viable forestry operations. As a result of legislation in 2002,\u00a0First Nations in British Columbia have greater access to the province\u2019s public\u00a0forest resources through direct award forestry tenures. A total of 1.4 million acres\u00a0(572,000 hectares) managed by Capacity are certified to the SFI 2010-2014\u00a0Standard.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur company took a close look at forest certification standards available in\u00a0British Columbia, and recommended our clients certify to the SFI 2010-2014\u00a0Standard because its principles fit naturally with their approach to forest\u00a0management,\u201d said Capacity President Corby Lamb. \u201cSFI certification respects\u00a0First Nations peoples\u2019 rights and cultural values, as well as meeting environmental\u00a0and economic concerns. It gives elders \u2013 who have a key role to play in resource\u00a0management \u2013 an independent tool to ensure their forestlands are being managed\u00a0to a higher level.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a panel discussion at the 2011 SFI Annual Conference, Ryan Clark,\u00a0Manager of Forestry & Strategic Planning for Capacity, said SFI certification\u00a0delivers benefits on the ground that are important to First Nations, such as \u00a0protection of water bodies and special sites, and support for training, research and\u00a0community involvement. He said the standard is easy to understand and\u00a0communicate, and offers a competitive advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cCapacity\u2019s leadership is one of the reasons why SFI has more lands held by or\u00a0managed for Aboriginal communities certified to our standard than any other\u00a0certification program in North America,\u201d SFI President and CEO Kathy Abusow\u00a0said when she presented the award at the SFI Annual Conference. \u201cThe company\u00a0actively shows its own clients and other First Nations the many ways SFI\u00a0certification can meet their cultural, spiritual, environmental and material needs\u00a0today and into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lamb said Capacity worked with SFI to create a group certification so it could\u00a0hold the SFI certificate on behalf of its clients, adding \u201cwe\u2019ve more than recovered\u00a0the cost of certification through improved performance.\u201d Capacity continues to\u00a0work with SFI Inc. to identify more ways to work with non-certified First Nations\u00a0involved in the forestry sector and encourage them to certify their lands.\u00a0Independent SFI Inc. manages the largest single third-party forest standard in the\u00a0world, which is based on principles that are important to First Nations such as\u00a0promoting sustainable forest management, with measures to protect water quality,\u00a0biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and Forests with Exceptional\u00a0Conservation Value.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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