Private forest
landowners in Pennsylvania and members of the PA Tree Farm Committee, who
administer the American Tree Farm System’s certification program, have been trying for
quite some time to find value in forest certification. We have always known certification was
important but struggled to find real value that can be offered to
landowners. This may just be the answer
forest landowners have been looking for.
Certification means that forest landowners have to follow a set of
criteria known as “standards.”
Certification in the American Tree Farm System means landowners are practicing
sustainable forestry, considering wildlife, water, invasive species, and other
forest attributes, besides just timber, in their management decisions.
With a
number of changes in the PA Tree Farm Program soon to be implemented this just
may be what is needed to help grow family forest certification in the state. Landowners may soon find real value in the
program. Recognition of Tree Farm
certified wood fiber by companies such as McDonalds and Mars could really give this
program the boost it needs. This is an
important announcement demonstrating that going forward certification will be
important.
Read the
news release below from Eco Business
September
16, 2015
By GreenBlue
Org
GreenBlue
and the American Forest Foundation (AFF) today announced a new partnership to
bring together America’s family forest owners and several of the most
well-known marketplace brands, including Mars, Incorporated; McDonald’s; Avery
Dennison; and Evergreen Packaging.
For the
first time ever, both ends of the forest products supply chain will connect and
take part in a dialogue to explore their respective needs and challenges
relative to sustainable forest management. The dialogue, which kicks off this
November and lead to a meeting in January, builds on GreenBlue’s Forest
Products Working Group efforts to examine the role of forest certification to
explore, in partnership with AFF, frameworks for providing assurance that wood
from family woodlands is produced sustainably.
“We know
that America’s family forests are a critical source in supplying the wood fiber
for McDonald’s packaging,” said Townsend Bailey, Director of Supply Chain
Sustainability at McDonald’s USA. “The GreenBlue/AFF partnership creates an
opportunity to connect with family woodland owners and explore ways to assure
and engage our customers around the sustainability of our products.”
“Our goal at
Mars, Incorporated is to achieve a fully sustainable supply chain for all the
pulp and paper-based packaging materials we use,” said Rachel Goldstein, Global
Sustainability Director at Mars, Incorporated. “As demand for sustainably
sourced products grows, we’re working with our suppliers to make this happen.
We look forward to participating in the Sustainable Forest Management Summit so
we can engage with family forest owners and drive meaningful collaboration.”
“AFF
operates our country’s oldest and largest sustainable woodland program, the
American Tree Farm System (ATFS), showcasing it’s an impressive history of
working with family forest owners to ensure their forests provide an incredible
range of benefits such as wood, wildlife habitat and clean water,” said Nina
Goodrich, GreenBlue’s Executive Director. “We are honored to partner with AFF
to expand their work and be a part of connecting these two vital audiences in a
dynamic value chain.”
The
GreenBlue and AFF partnership is part of a new larger initiative launched by
AFF this month, to help meet the growing and changing global market needs for
sustainable wood supplies from family-owned forests, while protecting and
enhancing wildlife habitat and other forest benefits. The initiative is
currently in phase one gathering input and data from the forest products supply
chain, from manufacturers to consumers, forest land owners themselves, and many
others to identify priority areas and wood supply needs.
“Brand
owners play a key role in the supply chain of wood products, as they are at the
forefront of customers,” said Tom Martin, President of AFF. “This partnership
with GreenBlue offers the potential to uncover new insights and help us
increase our impact on ensuring family-owned forests continue to provide for
all Americans.”
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