Here are just a few of the highlights from this year’s report:

• 5,584 resource and logging professionals trained in 2010;
• $81.4 million invested by program participants in forest research activities in 2010;
• 948 SFI Implementation Committee members;
• 36% increase in chain-of-custody certified locations from the start of 2010 to April 2011;
• SFI commitment of $1.1 million through its Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program in 2010 and 2011 – a total value of $4.2 million once partner contributions are included;
• more than five million acres/two million hectares of lands held or managed by Aboriginal communities certified to the SFI 2010-2014 Standard;
• new SFI on-product labels to strengthen transparency.

It’s obvious why the title of our Progress Report is The Bigger Picture: Conservation. Community. Integrity.

For SFI Inc., a rigorous certification standard is a starting point – it anchors an independent program broader than any other third-party forest certification program in North America; one that supports conservation research, reaches out to communities, and is built on integrity.

SFI Inc. Board Chair Bob Luoto put it well in his message: “. . . what impresses me most about the program is the fact that literally thousands of people across North America are putting it to work . . .”

We invited certification bodies who conduct the detailed third-party audits to the SFI standard to submit comments. Mike Ferruci of NSF-ISAR Forestry Program spoke to the SFI program rigor: “My advice for companies that want to be SFI certified is to make sure everything is in order before I arrive. I have no choice – if the SFI standard requirements are not being met, and I see a major non-conformance, I won’t be issuing an SFI certificate.”

SFI stands with other certification programs as a respected, internationally recognized standard. It also stands alone. It is the only program in North America requiring that program participants support and engage in research activities, that they broaden the practice of sustainable forestry through landowner and public outreach. It stands alone as the only program with a grassroots network of SFI Implementation Committees who train loggers and participate in important community events.

Conservation. Integrity. Community. All important parts of the SFI bigger picture as we work together to ensure our forests continue to offer the many values we treasure to our children, and to their children.

Read the full report here

Read our news release here

The Wildlife Habitat Improvement  Practices program at Clemson University, is one of nine projects awarded funding earlier this year as part of SFI’s Conservation and Community Grant Program.  The goal of the Clemson program is to research and share wildlife habitat improvement practices, inform SFI Standard Objectives for wildlife management, and help other forest landowners implement activities to improve wildlife habitat.  Through this program, Clemson aims to foster greater understanding, acceptance and support of responsible forest management by the general public.  As part of their outreach efforts, Clemson recently launched a new website which provides background information and updates on the project achievements.

Clemson University students majoring in forest resources, wildlife and fisheries biology, and environmental and natural resource management are a key component in the success of the SFI-funded project.  This fall, 42 undergraduate students enrolled in a Wildlife Management class are working with project co-directors to establish and sample a series of vegetation plots in demonstration sites to evaluate the effects of select silvicultural practices on wildlife habitat.  Two graduate students enrolled in the course are also helping to develop a plan to have the Clemson forest certified to the SFI Standard.   By participating in the project students are gaining a better understanding of integrated forest and wildlife habitat management,  as well as the requirements and goals of the SFI program.  The SFI project has become an invaluable teaching tool that is enriching the education experience of students majoring in natural resource management and related fields.

The Wildlife Habitat Improvement  Practices program is not only researching best forest management practices, but will demonstrate lessons learned to those who can benefit from learning about improved management activities, including forest landowners, forest managers, foresters, wildlife biologists and conservationists who are interested in integrating wildlife habitat improvement practices into forests managed for timber products. Upon completion of the research, Clemson and its partners, including SFI, will host a field day to demonstrate their findings to landowners and managers, taking the next step to inform new practices that benefit wildlife, meet SFI requirements and assist in gaining public support for responsible forest management.

Check out the Clemson Wildlife Habitat Improvement Practices program’s new website and keep up to date with the great work going on there.

If you take a look at our conference agenda you will see we have lined up local and international speakers who will talk about partnerships yielding benefits for the forest products marketplace, communities, First Nations, and government agencies throughout North America and globally. Keynote speaker Linda Coady, Distinguished Fellow, University of British Columbia and Vice-President of Sustainability, Vancouver Olympics Organizing Committee will talk about Certification, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability – The Next Generation.  We’ll also be making some exciting announcements.

We will be posting video from conference speakers as well as pictures from the event on our Annual Conference webpage – so check it out if you are not able to join us in Vancouver and take part virtually.

The Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) recently finished the second of six workshops, thanks to a grant from SFI’s Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program. Over the next three years, RGS plans to hold six Wisconsin Coverts workshops– A Woodland Wildlife Management Program for Private Landowners in the Great Lakes Region. The Wisconsin Coverts Project enlists and educates workshop attendees about management best practices for their land and the wildlife on it, so they can lead by example and help others better understand their role as land stewards. Since 1994, The Wisconsin Coverts Project has held 17 previous Coverts Workshops for 427 Coverts Cooperators (representing 375 properties).  These Cooperators are responsible for managing 330,735 acres in Wisconsin and in outreach to other landowners, have impacted management on a over 700,000 acres.

One of the recent Wisconsin Coverts Workshops was conducted at the Kemp Natural Resources Station near Woodruff, Wisconsin with 23 attendees.  As part of the grant from SFI, applicants who are chosen for the workshop attend it free of charge, which facilitates the participation of family forest landowners.  The large number of applicants (70) for participating in a Coverts Workshop indicates the growing interest and demand for this type of training.  Project staff did an outstanding job targeting forest landowners that have high potential to influence management on large tracts or work with other landowners in their areas.  Anecdotal comments from workshop attendees indicate they found the workshops very beneficial.

SFI’s Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program fosters partnerships between organizations interested in improving forest management in the United States and Canada, and responsible procurement globally.  SFI is committed to providing leadership and sharing best practices to improve forest management on both certified and uncertified lands. In May 2010, the program announced a commitment of $675,000 to support nine conservation initiatives.  Through the involvement of partners, these projects will leverage additional resources and achieve a total value of almost $2.7 million.

August 12-15, 2010 WI Coverts Project attendees:  Standing (left to right):  Dick Merten, Daniel Einstein, Brad Matson, Scott Craven (workshop coordinator), Doug Hagie, Mark Erickson, Chad Reynen, Tom Owens, Bill O’Donnell, Jim Stuempges, Jo Bailey, David Drake (workshop coordinator), Craig Stomberg, Steve Schwartz, and Doug Appelgren.  Sitting (left to right):  Roxanne Erickson, James Marquardt, Robert Asproth, Charles Erickson, David Johnson, Jason Spaeth, Barb Thompson, Kathy Lewis, and Gretchen Larson.  Not pictured:  Jim Lohff and Jamie Nack (workshop coordinator).

A major contributor to deforestation is illegal logging, which is exactly what forest certification programs like SFI are designed to avoid.  In fact, voluntary third-party forest certification began in the 1990s in response to market concerns about forest management and illegal logging, primarily in developing countries. In the U.S, The State of America’s Forests report prepared by the Society of American Foresters (and based on U.S. Forest Service data) concludes that forested acres in the U.S. have remained relatively stable for the past 100 years (about 755 million acres).  And while it’s true that tremendous progress is being made, the fact remains that only 10% of the world’s forests are now certified.  SFI is doing its part address the remaining 90%.