NATURESERVE

Quantifying Evidence of Imperiled Forest-Associated Species on SFI-Certified Lands

Why This Project Matters

This project will help address threats to biodiversity. Over 1,300 different species in the United States are listed as endangered or threatened, according to the US Environmental protection Agency. Environment and Climate Change Canada lists 640 species at risk. Sustainably managed forests can play a significant role in addressing these challenges. This project will quantitatively illustrate the degree to which SFI‑certified forests are known or have potential to support the most critically imperiled species, a key requirement of the SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard.

How the Project is Supporting Imperiled Forest-Associated Species

NatureServe has conducted two sets of pilots in four study areas to develop and measure a diverse suite of metrics covering individual species to landscapes. The project will evaluate two of those metrics across the entire footprint of SFI-certified lands, providing the first-ever quantification of the critical biodiversity value of the combined SFI footprint.

SFI’s Contribution

The SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program is supporting this project. The project will build on past collaborations between SFI and NatureServe to quantify the conservation value of SFI certification across the US and Canada. SFI’s enormous scale with more than 370 million acres/150 million hectares certified to the SFI Forest Management Standard, and tens of millions of acres positively influenced by the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard supports the scope of this project.

The results will also be summarized in graphs, charts and maps produced in collaboration with SFI, to maximize the broader communication objectives of conveying the multiple values of SFI-certified forests. NatureServe will work with SFI to develop materials that accurately and compellingly convey the results of this effort to a wide audience.

How the Project Helps Forest Managers

The project will help forest managers and forestland owners conserve biodiversity. This work aims to provide all SFI‑certified organizations with the ability to view the results for any spatial reporting unit via a secure online interactive tool built on the data analysis conducted for the project. At a minimum, results will be available for individual states and provinces. Finer-resolution reporting units are being pursued, contingent on permission from NatureServe member programs in the US and Canada. Regardless of minimum spatial resolution, results and deliverables will allow for analysis of the entire SFI footprint in both Canada and the US. The project will support SFI-certified organizations with biodiversity data that is directly relevant to the implementation of SFI standards on each organization’s specific forestlands.

Partners

This partnership includes conservation NGO’s, academics, and forestry companies to quantify imperiled forest species. These partners include:

Project Lead: NatureServe

Sustainable Forestry Initiative

Weyerhaeuser (SFI-certified organization)

Related Information

NatureServe: Devising New Ways to Measure Biodiversity Across Millions of Acres

NatureServe: Quantifying Ecological Values Delivered by Forests Certified to SFI and SFI Fiber Sourcing

About NatureServe

NatureServe empowers people to sustain biodiversity by making sure everyone has access to the knowledge they need to be better stewards of our shared lands and waters. NatureServe is an authoritative source of comprehensive, decision-quality biodiversity data. NatureServe provides the scientific knowledge that supports informed decisions. Together, with its network of over 80 programs, NatureServe collects decision-quality data about imperiled species and entire ecosystems, transforms that data into knowledge products and visualizations, and provides meaning through expert analyses and support to guide decision-making, implement action, and enhance conservation outcomes.