By Allison Welde
SFI Director, Conservation Partnerships
Posted April 20, 2012

The goal for Earth Day 2012 this Sunday is to help Mobilize the Earth™ by collecting A Billion Acts of Green^® and elevating the importance of environmental issues around the world. At SFI, we collaborate with many groups and individuals committed to responsible forestry because we know our collective efforts can make quite a difference.

SFI Program Participants and partners work hard every day to support good forestry, and Earth Day is a great time to recognize their efforts.  We all believe that responsible forest management must meet more than just the needs of humans, and that’s why we incorporate wildlife habitat protection, support for biodiversity and water quality protection into the many standard requirements of the SFI program. In addition to biodiversity requirements included as part of our standard, SFI is dedicated to conservation research – both in our standard and through our Conservation and Community Grant Program. Launched in 2010, SFI has funded a total of 24 conservation projects to date through this program. Thanks to the over 125 partners involved in these projects, SFI is supporting real and tangible benefits on-the-ground.

We know that the conservation research we are investing in and those partnerships that we are forming today are helping to build a brighter future for our forests – and Earth Day is a great time to acknowledge some of the tremendous contributions of our grant recipients, including:

• The Land Trust for Tennessee, the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust and the Wildlands Network, who are showing landowners and governments how conservation easements can protect ecosystem services while generating a return from forestlands.
• Bird Studies Canada, which has collected scientific data forest companies are using to improve forest habitat management beyond regulatory compliance for the conservation of bird biodiversity and species-at-risk across Canada.
• Ducks Unlimited Canada and Dalhousie University which, along with a wide assortment of partners, are improving forest road crossings to protect the future of wetlands in the western boreal region and Atlantic Canada.
• Clemson University, which has created a demonstration forest and led workshops and webinars so landowners can learn how good forest management supports objectives like providing wildlife habitat.

It means so much to me to see these results – and to realize this is just a small sampling of what our grantees have accomplished so far is truly gratifying. And there is more to come – we’re about to announce 2012 grants that focus on protection for water resources.

And this is only one of our programs – about 2,000 organizations are directly involved in the SFI program; more than 200,000 individuals support us in different capacities, and everyone who chooses an SFI-certified forest product is joining in our good work. We work with forest professionals, indigenous communities, universities, tree farmers, conservation groups, government agencies, and companies of all sizes.

By celebrating Earth Day, we can reflect on the fact that the future is decided now – every company, every organization and every individual in North America can shape the future of our forests and our rural communities through their actions today. Asking for SFI-labeled wood and paper products is one way to help transform markets and support a healthy future for forests, for communities and for conservation.

Ryan Clark
Manager, Forestry & Strategic Planning
Capacity Forest Management Ltd.

March 23, 2012

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is asking for comments on the draft language for its LEED rating system. SFI Inc. has invited views on the treatment of third-party forest certification, which must be “FSC or better” according to the latest USGBC credit language. In this post, Ryan Clark, Manager, Forestry & Strategic Planning, Capacity Forest Management talks about how SFI certification addresses indigenous interests.

Capacity Forest Management manages forestry operations for 17 First Nations clients in British Columbia. In partnership with our clients, we balance cultural priorities with the need to provide an economically viable forestry operation.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative^® (SFI^®) certification is one tool we use to achieve this balance. The SFI Standard addresses cultural values as well as addressing environmental and economic concerns important to our clients. And it offers an important proof point to customers around the world that they are buying products from a responsible source.

There are three respected third-party certification programs used in Canada – SFI, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). On the ground, their similarities outweigh their differences. Our clients chose SFI certification because a lot of its principles match the objectives and goals they have for the long-term sustainable management of their land base, such as measures to protect water quality, special sites, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and forests with exceptional conservation value.

The SFI program has strong emphasis on training – participants must make sure personnel and contractors have the knowledge and skills to support sustainable forestry practices. This is important to our First Nations clients who are often new to forestry and looking for ways to increase capacity in all aspects of forestry, from the boardroom to planning, harvesting and operational silviculture crews.

Our clients care about their forests, and SFI certification is a great way to demonstrate this. If the U.S. Green Building Program wants to support North America’s forests and its indigenous peoples, it will expand the LEED certified wood to recognize all of North America’s certification standards.

Respected organizations are calling on the U.S. Green Building Council to recognize all credible certification programs used in North America for its LEED rating system – including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, American Tree Farm System, Forest Stewardship Council, Canadian Standards Association and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. The LEED Rating System Third Public Comment Period closes March 27, 2012. At the end of the review period, USGBC members will vote on the final draft.

Architects and builders can learn more about the benefits of using certified wood in green building thanks to a Continuing Education Unit (CEU) sponsored by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative^® (SFI^®) program. It also demonstrates how government agencies support an inclusive approach to certification and how even LEED Pilot Credit 43 offers an opportunity for SFI-certified wood.

The unit – Certified Wood Branches Out: Forest Certification’s Evolving Role in Green Building Rating Systems – is featured in the January-February 2012  issue of GreenSource Magazine, which is published by McGraw Hill and goes to 45,000 green design and construction professionals.

It reinforces the fact that the green building community is recognizing the value of all forest certification programs equally. This past fall alone, we had Governor Paul LePage’s executive order in Maine, and heard from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Education, and the International Green Construction Code – all recognizing SFI and other credible forest certification standards.

The CEU will be in the McGraw Hill Continuing Education Unit online library throughout 2012, and architects and builders can earn continuing education credits through the American Institute of Architects by reading the article and taking an online test.

Building materials have such a huge impact on the environment, and wood from responsibly managed forests is such a great choice in new construction or renovations. We encourage you to help get the CEU into the hands of builders, architects, designers, and specifiers so they can see that third-party forest certification standards like SFI offer a proof point that the forest has been managed for multiple values.

Read the full CEU here.

Download the full CEU as a PDF here:
CEU: Certified Wood Branches Out — Forest Certification’s Evolving Role in Green Building Rating Systems

Today marks the launch of SFI’s In Case You Were Wondering section of the website (sfiprogram.org/facts). This part of the site is a resource for anyone with questions about forest certification or SFI and explains the values our program is grounded in, the importance of promoting responsible forest management and helps
consumers make informed purchasing decisions.

Independence and inclusion, rigorous third party audits and understanding eco labels are the themes covered throughout this area of our site. We showcase leaders in their respective fields with videos and information featuring me and other key contributors to forest certification:

Additionally, there is a “share” feature on each page, making it easy for you to post and email information about the site to your social networks.

I couldn’t be more excited about the site, and we hope you find it valuable. Feel free to share your feedback by commenting on the post or emailing info@sfiprogram.org.

Nadine Block, Senior Director, Government Outreach

SFI is proud to be a sponsor of an important upcoming event that tackles a major global problem: the Fourth Potomac Forum on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade, hosted by Forest Trends on May 4 in Washington DC. Co-sponsors include the World Bank, USAID, and the Forest Legality Alliance. The objective of the Potomac Forum is to develop a better understanding of the different initiatives currently being undertaken by governments, industry, and NGOs related to the global trade of legally sourced wood products. Speakers will address experiences with the Lacey Act, views on the recently passed EU Timber Regulation, and other important topics. SFI will participate as a speaker on a panel exploring how certification standards are working with the new regulations.

SFI’s support for the Potomac Forum comes through our Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program which fosters partnerships between organizations interested in improving forest management in the United States and Canada, and responsible procurement globally.

SFI’s support for the Potomac Forum ties directly to the SFI 2010-2014 Standard requirements related to avoidance of controversial sources, including Performance Measure 12.1: “Program participants shall ensure that their fiber sourcing programs support the principles of sustainable forestry, including efforts to thwart illegal logging” and Performance Measure 13.1: “Program participants shall avoid controversial sources and encourage socially sound practices.”

The Potomac Forum, which SFI is sponsoring for the third time, is one of several activities that SFI is engaged in to take action on illegal logging and to raise awareness about the role of certification standards in supporting the multitude of market and policy demands for non-controversial, or legal, wood products. An SFI grant is also supporting the World Resources Institute (WRI) in the creation of the Forest Legality Alliance Risk Tool, an open access, map-based, global information hub so users can conduct due diligence on forest trade. SFI is a member of the Forest Legality Alliance and will be hosting a webinar on illegal logging with WRI in June. Wherever you fall along the forest supply chain, we hope you will participate in one of these activities and learn more about the important initiatives being undertaken to address a major global problem.