Study on Certified Forests, Forest Products Sets Stage for Educational Programs

[Louisiana] This and other results of the study conducted with landowners in Louisiana and Mississippi by researchers at the LSU AgCenter and Mississippi State University will be used to provide the background needed for developing a Web site and handbook on forestland certification, said Dr. Richard Vlosky, director of the Louisiana Forest Products Development Center in the LSU AgCenter. Nearly half of the landowners who responded stated they understand the concept of forest certification well or to some degree, Vlosky said. But more than three-quarters are unwilling to bear the cost of certification. Of the 123 home centers that responded, one-third said they sell certified wood products and that those products make up an average of 38 percent of their wood product sales by value, Vlosky said. “For the landowner, home center responses mean certification is growing and demand for this market segment is growing,” Vlosky said. “If landowners want to sell to a mill that sells to those home centers, they need to be aware of the market conditions involved in certifying timberland.” “These landowners need to see the cost benefit of certification,” Vlosky said, pointing out that nearly 80 percent said they are unwilling to certify their forestlands. “They’re unclear of the link between their land and the market dynamic,”

Related story: Lumber companies want wood certified

News notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network News Notes
www.southernsustainableforests.org