Forest Certification Pilot Project Achieves Success in Maine
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A pilot project involving U.S.-based Time Inc., Hearst Enterprises, National Geographic Society, Verso Paper Corp., and Sappi Fine Paper North America has led to 790,000 acres (320,000 hectares) of additional forest lands being certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Standard in the U.S. State of Maine. The pilot was an extension of an earlier project involving Time, Hearst, Verso, Sappi, and NewPage Corp. that led to 620,000 acres (250,000 hectares) certified to the SFI 2010-2014 Standard in 2010, bringing the total of additional lands certified to the SFI Standard to 1.4 million acres (570,000 hectares).
"The companies involved are among a growing number of corporate leaders who know certification is key to responsible sourcing of forest products, and embrace credible standards such as SFI," SFI President and CEO Kathy Abusow said. "And Maine is just a starting point—they are already looking for ways to expand supply options and promote responsible forest practices by encouraging more landowners to certify their forests to the SFI Standard."
The first phase of the Maine pilot project improved access to SFI certification by creating a template so medium-sized landowners could develop, implement, and coordinate management plans in a simpler and more consistent manner. The second phase included additional landowners and land managers such as Katahdin Forest Management LLC and Huber Resources Corp.
"The pilot showed us how the SFI standard's training and outreach requirements can help us manage our lands responsibly so our forests can deliver environmental values and support local jobs today and into the future," said Kenny Fergusson, Maine woodlands forester for Huber Resources Corp.
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