Resolute Forest Products Inc., Montréal, Que., Canada, this past week announced the reinstatement of its Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) certificate for the Black Spruce/Dog River-Matawin forest in Northwestern Ontario. This reinstatement further confirms Resolute's status as one of the largest holders of FSC forest management certification in Canada and all of North America.

The certificate had been temporarily suspended in January 2014 following an audit by Rainforest Alliance. In keeping with the FSC process, Resolute has since successfully undergone two rigorous audits, which confirmed that the company is in compliance with the FSC standard. A Corrective Action Verification Audit was carried out in June 2015 and a new Annual Surveillance Audit was completed in September 2015. The results of this successful Annual Surveillance Audit were recently released by Rainforest Alliance.

"Receiving confirmation that our certificate has been reinstated is welcomed news," said Richard Garneau, Resolute's president and CEO. "This outcome is due in no small part to the diligence of our forestry team in Northwestern Ontario, and to the support of First Nations and a diversity of forest stakeholders, including local communities, unions, and anglers' and hunters' associations, to name a few."

"Our forestry management practices were already in compliance with the legal and regulatory frameworks of Ontario, which are among the most stringent in the world. We now have the confirmation that they also meet the requirements of the FSC standard," added Garneau.

"As we look forward as a company, however, we are concerned with the number of challenging issues currently facing FSC and its membership. These include the adoption of Motion 65, which aims to protect intact forest landscapes and its adaptation to the Canadian specific circumstances; the interpretation of Environment Canada's woodland caribou conservation strategy; the merging of all four Canadian FSC standards into a single one while simultaneously introducing a long list of new indicators; and several other issues. We recognize the considerable efforts of FSC and its membership to address these complex issues and Resolute will continue to actively take part in these efforts. We hope that in doing so, the impact on those whose livelihoods depend on the forest will be taken into consideration in a meaningful way."

Considering the seriousness of the issues, the company is concerned about the viability of FSC certification in the Canadian boreal forest, as are other companies. Until significant progress is made in addressing these matters, Resolute will work to maintain its existing FSC forest management certificates where possible, but will not pursue new certification. 

Resolute Forest Products is a producer of newsprint, specialty papers, tissue, market pulp, and wood products. The company owns or operates more than 40 pulp, paper, tissue, and wood products facilities in the U.S., Canada, and South Korea, as well as power generation assets in Canada.