NEWMARKET, ON —The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) is proud to announce The Regional Municipality of York as the first-ever municipality to achieve certification to the full SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard. This achievement reflects York Region’s ongoing commitment to promoting healthy communities and integrating sustainability in its planning.
“York Region’s achievement in implementing the SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard demonstrates what’s possible for municipalities in Canada seeking to strengthen their urban forests,” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI. “Through this process, York Region aligned its forest management plans, community engagement initiatives, climate adaptation strategies, emergency response and municipal sustainability goals.”
“Achieving this certification is a significant milestone underscoring York Region and York Regional Council’s commitment to sustainable urban forestry,” said Eric Jolliffe, York Region Chairman and CEO. “It reflects the success of our Greening Strategy and the vital role trees and forests play in building healthy and resilient communities. This recognition reaffirms York Region as a leader in environmental stewardship and reinforces our century-long legacy in protecting, conserving and restoring the natural environment.”
The certification audit was carried out by Preferred by Nature, an international nonprofit organization working to support better land management and business practices that benefit people, nature and climate. As an accredited certification body under the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), Preferred by Nature offers several SFI certification services, including Forest Management and Fiber Sourcing. The organization recently expanded its scope to include the SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard.
“By passing a rigorous third-party audit, York Region is both setting ambitious goals and showing that they are continuously improving and delivering results,” said Meg Hanna, SFI Director of Urban and Community Forestry for Canada. “As the first municipality certified to this SFI standard, York Region is leading by example with sound urban forest management.”
“This new standard is a natural addition to our SFI certification services. It complements our mission to promote sustainable solutions and fills a significant gap by recognizing the value of urban forests in both environmental and community contexts. There is currently no other sustainability certification that brings together urban green space, forest stewardship, and community well-being in this way,” said James Hallworth, Senior Forestry Specialist at Preferred by Nature. “We’re pleased to support this development and to help raise awareness of the important role that urban trees and forests play in healthy, livable cities.”
SFI developed the Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard in collaboration with key partners, including Tree Canada, the International Society of Arboriculture American Forests, the Arbor Day Foundation, and the Urban and Community Forestry Society. Guided by the expertise of the SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard Development Task Group, the standard reflects the needs and priorities of urban forestry professionals while providing a clear framework for sustainable forest management in communities.
SFI is dedicated to advancing sustainable urban and community forests and looks forward to more municipalities, communities, universities, and organizations achieving certification under this innovative standard. To learn more about the SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard and how to pursue certification, visit forests.org/UrbanStandard.
ABOUT SFI
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) advances sustainability through forest-focused collaborations. We are an independent, nonprofit organization that leverages four interconnected pillars of work: standards, conservation, community, and education. SFI works with the forest sector, conservation groups, academics, researchers, brand owners, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and governments. Collaborating with our network, we leverage SFI-certified forests and products as powerful tools to help solve sustainability challenges such as climate action, conservation of biodiversity, education of future generations, and sustainable economic development.
MEDIA CONTACT
Christine Leduc
VP, Communications and Government Relations
Sustainable Forestry Initiative
613-706-1114
media@forests.org
About the Regional Municipality of York
The Regional Municipality of York consists of nine local cities and towns and provides a variety of programs and services to more than 1.25 million residents and 57,000 businesses with more than 629,000 employees. More information about the Region’s key service areas is available at york.ca/RegionalServices. To learn more about how York Region is supporting climate action and how you can get involved, please visit york.ca/ClimateChange and york.ca/Greening.
About Preferred by Nature
Preferred by Nature is an international nonprofit organization working to support better land management and business practices that benefit people, nature and climate. The organization operates in over 100 countries, with a focus on land use sectors such as forestry, agriculture and climate impact commodities. Preferred by Nature promotes sustainability through projects, certification services, capacity building and tailored support to drive positive change in production landscapes and supply chains. The organization is accredited to deliver SFI certification services through the Standards Council of Canada.
About the Standards Council of Canada
Since 1970, the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) has helped make life safer, healthier, more prosperous and sustainable for people, communities and businesses in Canada through the power of standardization. As a federal Crown corporation and the country’s leading accreditation organization, SCC ensures conformity assessment bodies, like Preferred by Nature, meet the highest expectations. Climate change and sustainability are central to SCC’s work, with a strong focus on sustainable forestry and environmental management within its broader strategic activities.
