{"id":18922,"date":"2013-09-19T17:01:10","date_gmt":"2013-09-19T17:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/162.217.168.59\/?p=18922"},"modified":"2023-03-22T14:18:53","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T18:18:53","slug":"sfi-forest-partners-program-and-american-tree-farm-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forests.org\/fr\/sfi-forest-partners-program-and-american-tree-farm-system\/","title":{"rendered":"SFI Forest Partners Program and American Tree Farm System\u00ae Grow Certification in South Carolina"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON, D.C.<\/strong> \u2013 With the support of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative \u00ae (SFI\u00ae) Forest PartnersSM Program, 103,000 acres of land owned by the South Carolina Forestry Commission and Clemson University were recently certified to the SFI and American Tree Farm System\u00ae standards. The five South Carolina state forests underwent a simultaneous independent audit to certify to both the ATFS and SFI standards and Clemson University Forests, which have been ATFS certified since 1987, became SFI certified.<\/p>\n

Founding SFI Forest Partners National Geographic Society, Time Inc., Macmillan Publishers and Pearson are promoting innovative approaches to make certification more accessible for medium-\u00ad\u2010sized forest landowners and for small-\u00ad\u2010 and medium-\u00ad\u2010sized mills. The SFI Forest Partners Program has identified nearly half a million acres of additional lands in Florida, Georgia and Virginia for program participation, with many landowners beginning third-\u00ad\u2010 party certification audits by the end of 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cSustainable management of our natural resources contributes to the long-\u00ad\u2010term success of South Carolina\u2019s forestry industry which significantly impacts employment and manufacturing activity,\u201d Governor Nikki Haley said. \u201cThis successful public-\u00ad\u2010private enterprise reinforces our state\u2019s commitment to landowners and timber managers by investing in responsible forest management.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n

\u201cThirty percent of U.S. acres certified to the SFI Standard are publicly owned, demonstrating the value of SFI certification to public working forests, while sending a leadership signal to private landowners as well,\u201d said SFI President and CEO Kathy Abusow. \u201cWe congratulate South Carolina for having the first certificate issued under the SFI Forest Partners Program and for representing significant progress in meeting our goal of certifying five million acres by the end of 2014.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Clemson Experimental Forest is dedicated to the teaching, research and demonstration of best practices in forest resource management to benefit society and the environment,\u201d said Clemson University President James F. Barker. \u00ab\u00a0We are proud that Clemson’s forest has met SFI\u2019s science-\u00ad\u2010based standard for sustainability. Our institutional commitment to sustainability is central to our land-\u00ad\u2010grant mission, and SFI certification is another step toward becoming a carbon neutral campus by 2030.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ATFS standard is a great tool to encourage family landowners to practice active, responsible forestry, and SFI certification enables our State Forests to contribute certified wood content to the supply chain of many SFI Program Participants,\u201d said Gene Kodama, South Carolina State Forester. \u201cThrough this initiative, we will better protect and develop our state\u2019s forest resource.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlong with improving services to Tree Farmers, we led an effort to broaden the base of certified lands to reach beyond the small private landowner. The partnership between SFI, the South Carolina Forestry Commission and the South Carolina Tree Farm Committee to dual certify state forest lands and Clemson to the SFI and the Tree Farm standards does just that\u201d said Ken Leach, chairman of the South Carolina Tree Farm Committee.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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