Kathryn FernholzDovetail PartnersOctober 2013

Forest Certification Finding the Program that Best Fits Your Needs For Your Forest

Overview

•What is forest certification?

•Why consider certification for your forest?

•What are the different programs?

•Key questions/benefits to consider

•Questions?

What is certification?

http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/the-green-workplace-looks-at-eco-labels.html

Certification:

A process for assuring that: •Standards are being met, and

•Customer concerns are being addressed.

Many environmental certification systems are voluntary.

Why certification? •E

nvironmental concerns

•S

ocial concerns

•L

ack of effective regulation

•O

pportunity to identify leaders and voluntarily improve practices

•I

dentify source of materials

•I

dentify materials that are produced following specific practices (meeting your values/standards)

Why participate in certification?•P

rice premiums/Market Access

•E

nhance Customer Relationships

•E

nhance Employee Satisfaction

•R

educe Costs

•I

mprovement management

•E

nhance oversight and quality assurance

•I

mprove performance/Measure progress

Why aren’t all forests and products certified?

•A

dded costs

•L

ack of price premiums

•L

imited market demand

•B

urden of audits and reporting

•B

urden of meeting standards

How does third-party certification work?

Standard Setting Body (and Accreditation Organization)

Accredited Certification Body or Auditor

Producer/Company/Landowner

Responsible for ensuring that certification requirements are met and participate in audits/reporting.

Audit Audit

How does third-party certification work?

Standard Setting Body (and Accreditation Organization)

Accredited Certification Body or Auditor

Producer/Company/Landowner

Responsible for ensuring that certification requirements are met and participate in audits/reporting.

Audit Audit

Certification Programs

The Structure of a Standard

For more info, see: http://dovetailinc.org/files/DovetailFSCSFIComparison32811.pdf

The Structure of a Standard

For more info, see: http://dovetailinc.org/files/DovetailFSCSFIComparison32811.pdf

American Tree Farm System

Standards of Sustainability:

1.Commitment to Practicing Sustainable Forestry

2.Compliance with Laws

3.Reforestation and Afforestation

4.Air, Water, and Soil Protection

5.Fish, Wildlife, and Biodiversity

6.Forest Aesthetics

7.Protect Special Sites

8.Forest Product Harvests and Other Activities

http://www.treefarmsystem.org/standards-for-tree-farm-certification

American Tree Farm System •S

tate Tree Farm Committee programs - 44 active state committees certifying over 21 million acres on 42,000 Tree Farms across the U.S. Landowners can join the state program through an inspection of their property and forest planning documents.

•Independently Managed Group (IMG) programs - Started in 2002 and currently there are 12 IMGs certifying over 5 million acres. Each has a group manager that oversees landowner entry and exit into the group and coordinates certification audits.

•Individual third-party certificates -  To obtain an individual certificate, landowners should contract directly with a qualified certification body and undergo certification audits every three years.

http://www.treefarmsystem.org/certification-american-tree-farm-system

www.treefarmsystem.org/

arkforests.org/treefarm.html

How do I participate?

A prospective Tree Farm is carefully inspected by a forester at no charge, for the following items:

• At least 10 acres are required for certification• Privately owned, tax-paying forest lands qualify for Tree Farm certification (certain Scout, 4-H, and municipal lands may qualify).• A forest management plan. The objectives of the forest owner are important in judging performance.• Protection must be provided from insects, disease, fire, and destructive grazing.• Harvesting of forest crops is important to utilize the renewable forest resource and to improve the growth of timber.• Dedication to growing repeated forest crops.• Other improvements to the land such as tree planting, timber stand improvement, pruning, stream improvement, and wildlife habitat improvement.

To have a Tree Farm representative contact you to inspect your Arkansas forest land, please contact Jennifer Lambert (jlambert@arkforests.org, 501-374-2441)

American Tree Farm System•F

&W Forestry – IMG • F&W can help individual landowners become certified under F&W’s

group certification. They can also assist landowners to enroll in and maintain their compliance with other certification programs.

F&W Forestry367 B Old Calion RoadEl Dorado, AR 71730PO Box 10621 El Dorado, AR 71730Office: (870) 864-8092Fax: (870) 864-8814

James F. Reese, RF, CFRegional Managerjreese@fwforestry.comCell: (229) 344-3906180 Highway 71 NorthDeQueen, AR 71832PO Box 1070, DeQueen, AR 71832Office: (870) 584-3016Fax: (870) 584-3017

Forest Stewardship CouncilThe ten FSC Principles:

• Principle 1: Compliance with laws

• Principle 2: Tenure and use rights and responsibilities

• Principle 3: Indigenous peoples’ rights

• Principle 4: Community relations and worker's rights

• Principle 5: Economic, social and environmental benefits from the forest.

• Principle 6: Environmental impact

• Principle 7: Management plan

• Principle 8: Monitoring and assessment

• Principle 9: Maintenance of high conservation value forests

• Principle 10: Plantations

http://ic.fsc.org/the-ten-principles.103.htm

Forest Stewardship Council

- Certified as member of a group- Certified as an individual- Certified as a Family Forest (less than

2,500 acre ownership)

Forest Stewardship CouncilFour States Timberland Owners Association (LA, OK, AR, TX)

•The organization is an unincorporated non-profit under the legal jurisdiction of the State of Arkansas and is operated by staff of Domtar, A.W. LLC located in Ashdown, Arkansas

•http://www.fourstatestimberlandowners.com/

•John Cook, Ashdown, AR, (903) 826-8775

•55 members (43 family forests)

•65,000+ acres

Certified Forest Management, LLC (GA, SC, NC, VA, TN, AL, MS, OK, TX, LA, AR)

•Certified Forest Management, LLC is a forest product marketing and sales business incorporated in the state of Delaware, USA and operated by staff of International Paper

•David Whitehouse, Augusta, GA (601) 927-3299

•43 members (40 family forests)

•38,000+ acres

Sustainable Forestry InitiativePrinciples:1.Sustainable Forestry2.Forest Productivity and Health3.Protection of Water Resources4.Protection of Biological Diversity5.Aesthetics and Recreation6.Protection of Special Sites7.Responsible Fiber Sourcing Practices in North America8.Avoidance of Controversial Sources (including Illegal Logging in Offshore Fiber Sourcing)9.Legal Compliance10.Research11.Training and Education12.Public Involvement13.Transparency14.Continual Improvement

http://www.sfiprogram.org

Key Questions & Benefits to Consider

•Do I want a plan for caring for my land?

•Do I want help in following my plan?

•Do I want experts to visit my forest and provide assistance?

•Do I want to be part of a group that is committed to certified forest management?

•Do I want to have access to markets for certified products?

…If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, then forest certification might be right for you!

How to choose the right program

•Read the standards – if the details and environmental impacts are a priority for you

•Talk to the people (group managers, members, etc) – if the relationship and quality of service is your top priority

•Ask about the program costs and market opportunities – if the economic benefits are a priority

www.dovetailinc.org

Katie Fernholz . 612-333-0430 . katie@dovetailinc.org