Those that know me have heard me talk a lot about the “Power of Partnerships” lately. It is simple, really – when we work together – sharing ideas, resources, and expertise – we have a greater positive impact on the world. So as we start a new year I am pleased that we’ve just launched a program that gets to the core of this “power of partnerships – SFI’s Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program. These grants are designed to strengthen landowner and community outreach, and bolster the conservation-based activities that mean so much to our program. Check out our website for more information and an application. The grants are just one more way we are connecting with the immense network of individuals and groups who, like us, are making a difference on the ground, in communities and in the marketplace.

We’re especially interested in projects that explore topics of current importance – like the role forest certification can play in the emerging bioenergy and carbon market, or how our program can help address illegal logging or improve wildlife habitat management. We are also keen to find more ways to benefit communities. Many program participants, led by SFI Implementation Committees, are already working with Habitat for Humanity affiliates to use wood from our communities to build our communities. I’m looking forward to seeing more of this kind of collaboration – especially when it leads to green homes for people with lower incomes or Aboriginal communities.

We’ve purposely kept the grant program as flexible as possible. Each project must have a non-profit organization with appropriate expertise as a principal partner, and each must demonstrate how it supports our new SFI 2010-2014 Standard. We’re also looking for activities with a regional or wider focus. The amount of each grant depends on the project – we’ve budgeted a total of up to $400,000 for 2010.

One of the things I truly value about the SFI program is our ability to reach out to landowners and communities – this lets us achieve results far beyond SFI-certified lands. At last count, there were over 2,500 people involved directly with the SFI program. These deep roots into communities across North America keep our program and our standard relevant and strong.

The deadline for applications for the Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program is March 1, 2010. If you want more information, you can register for an information webinar on Jan. 26, 2010 at 1 p.m., or contact Allison Welde, SFI Director of Conservation Partnerships and Communication.

One of the things I absolutely love about the SFI program is our work with communities – it’s a natural extension to any forest management activities. Our partnerships with local Habitat for Humanity affiliates capture this spirit perfectly.

At last count, the SFI program and its SFI Implementation Committees have been or are involved in Habitat projects in Minnesota, Maine, Tennessee, Manitoba and Ontario. Program participants have volunteered hundreds of hours of their time, and companies have donated thousands of dollars worth of products.

There are so many pluses it is hard to know where to start. Through Habitat, we are helping put low-income working families into their own homes. I was given a chance to wield a hammer at a Build Day in Hibbing, Minnesota, last summer, and saw for myself how much it meant for the new homeowner to build her own home with the help of her community.

The Manitoba and Ontario projects are special because both involve Aboriginal organizations – Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg has partnered with the Manitoba Métis Federation and Habitat for Humanity Northumberland is working with Alderville First Nation in southern Ontario to build the first Habitat for Humanity home in a First Nation community in Canada.

This is a great way to provide safe, healthy housing for First Nations people. Chief James Marsden of Alderville First Nation put it perfectly when he said: “We are very pleased to establish partnerships like these with businesses and the community because it allows us to create an affordable home for an Alderville First Nation family. Partnering with SFI also allows us to reinforce our respect for land and forests.”

Habitat for Humanity is a fantastic organization, and I am proud we can support them. Their guiding principles – simple, decent, affordable – say a lot about what they represent. And our involvement is a great fit because Habitat is increasing its emphasis on sustainability, and our donated forest products are from responsible sources.

I want to thank all the SFI companies and individuals who have pitched in to promote Habitat partnerships, and encourage you to check out the Habitat for Humanity website to see if there are opportunities to help out in your area.

Last week I was at the 4th Annual Environmental Printing Awards in Toronto, Canada – hosted by the well-respected magazine Print Action. About 400 representatives from the Canadian graphic arts community were there to celebrate their sector’s environmental achievements and leadership in Canada.

This got me thinking about what leadership is. The dictionary simply defines it as “the ability to lead”. I think that positive influence is at the core of powerful leadership – especially when it comes to corporate social responsibility and environmental initiatives.

Last night’s winners showed they have the ability to lead – the ability to positively influence their community and set an example – by implementing environmental programs or voluntary initiatives. One such winner was St. Joseph Communications – a major Canadian printer with tri-certification to SFI, FSC, and PEFC – who won the environmental Community Involvement gold award for their tree planting initiative with Scouts Canada.

The acts of leadership I witnessed at last week’s event are inspiring. These companies – be they print suppliers or print customers – are taking responsibility to improve their own backyard and by doing so they influence the whole neighborhood, so to speak. They raise the bar. That is powerful. That is hope.

The flipside of hope is fear. While we are on the definition kick…fear is defined as “a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.”

The keynote speaker at the awards was Tzeporah Berman of the campaigning organization Forest Ethics. She congratulated leaders in the room and specifically spoke of hope and she had a lot of positive things to say. However, when it comes to forest certification, a topic she mentioned, there is an element of fear when you scratch below the surface. Tzeporah applauded a variety of organizations that have chosen to have an FSC preference in their policy.

There is fear and there is hope. Fear is being forced into an exclusive policy to manage the threat of protestors on your door. Hope is collaboration and respect to recognize and reward leadership in the forests so that organizations feel good about being involved with changing the face of forests for today’s and future generations through recognizing and procuring products from certified forests and other responsible sources of supply. Most organizations in the supply chain that I have met with recognize the bigger pictures, that all of these forest certification standards, whether SFI or FSC, deliver on:

• Social, economic and environmental representation in decision-making

• Avoidance of illegal timber

• Identification of special biological, cultural, heritage sites

• Management strategies to protect species at risk

• Management strategies to maintain wildlife habitat

• Sustainable harvest levels

• Prompt regeneration

• 3rd party accredited certification audits

• Audit reports public available with corrective action clearly highlighted.

Multiple standards benefit everyone – they provide choice, promote innovation and drive continual improvement. I am a firm believer in the value of forest certification, and I am proud of what SFI has to offer.

A one-winner outcome is a monopoly, and monopolies do nothing for progress. SFI is interested in propelling market demand for forest certification on a global level so that one day soon we will be able to say that more than 10% of the world’s forests are certified. This is why SFI supports multiple certification and inclusive policies – we hope the work increases awareness of certification in general.

When the task at hand is improving forest management globally and promoting sustainable forest management, I think collaboration and respect are the only ways forward, especially when it comes to tackling pressing issues such as illegal logging that undermines our global forests and communities.

You’ve probably heard me talk lots about the fact that only 10% of the world’s forests are certified. Today I want to talk about the other 90% — that’s not certified. There are lots of reasons for this, developing nations may lack the capacity, support and legal framework to implement credible, independent forest certification programs. But what about uncertified lands in developed countries, like right here in the United States?

In December I had the privilege of touring uncertified lands owned by private land owners in Georgia. Today there are more than 10 million small family-owned forests in the United States and they produce 60% of the fiber in forest products manufactured in the US. I got to see firsthand this week the commitment these family forest owners have to sustainable forest management. Joe Hopkins, one such forest land owner, showed me a forest that he had recently planted and he told me “I’m not planting these forests for me, I’m planting them for my children and their children. In fact, I will unlikely live to see this forest harvested, but I still care about it because it’s the right thing to do.” Joe represents four generations of family forest owners and he’s just one of thousands across North America who participates in the SFI program through our unique fiber sourcing program.

For many family forest owners in both the US and Canada, certification is not a cost effective option for them. They may make money off their forests or woodlot twice in their lifetime, yet there are annual costs associated with a certification audit. While landowners can’t always justify the cost of an audit, our fiber sourcing program ensures that a company buying the fiber from these landowners undergoes a third-party audit by an accredited certification body to ensure the fiber sourcing requirements associated with landowner outreach, best management practices and logger training were met. In fact, since 1995, more than 110,000 loggers have been trained across North America through the SFI program.

I was moved by the commitment these family forest owners, loggers, foresters and SFI program participants have towards managing forests responsibly, respecting the rights of privacy of land owners and working to ensure forests for future generations. I’m proud that the SFI program has this unique feature – it shows our commitment to sustainable forest management not just on certified lands but on all forest land. Keep up the good work Joe… and the millions of other family forest owners across North America!

We held our Annual Conference last month in Minneapolis. In the year since I attended my first SFI conference as president and CEO, the SFI community has continued their hard work and achieved unparalleled growth. From the conference room to networking events and awards luncheons, the energy and enthusiasm about SFI and its momentum was obvious.

Attendance was excellent and we had a vibrant exchange of ideas and information on forest certification, illegal logging, carbon markets and new research on the public and industry views of eco-labels. A highlight was the launch of SFI’s new on-product label, which provides clear and concise information.

We had almost 200 delegates at the conference, including representatives from the print, packaging and solid wood supply chain; SFI-certified organizations; loggers; academics; and conservation groups. We took in a lot of information-packed and thought-provoking presentations, including the presentation and video by our Minnesota SFI implementation committee and their project with Habitat for Humanity that left us all a little misty-eyed. You can access all of the presentations here.

The entire SFI team knows that our success is built on the success and leadership shown by SFI participants and certificate holders. That’s why I was especially pleased to recognize the contributions of a number of individuals and organizations involved with SFI. I presented awards to Forest Capital Partners LLC, Harden Furniture Inc., JELD-WEN Windows and Doors, the Minnesota SFI Implementation Committee, National Envelope, Rayonier Inc., Sierra Pacific Industries and Smead Manufacturing Company. We’ve seen media pick up on some of the awards – here is a story about Harden Furniture, which received our President’s Award. Thanks again to our Minnesota SFI implementation committee for being such terrific hosts!