Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification is the most widely recognized certification system for sustainability in forestry. FSC’s management standards establish clear guidelines for forest management that protects the health of forest ecosystems while producing timber and other forest products. Private landowners (who own most of the forestland in the US) and local mills and manufacturers (who keep the economic benefits from forestry in local communities) are eager to use FSC certification as a tool for building sustainable forest-based economies in their communities.

However, FSC certification is not accessible to private landowners and small mills due to the costs and complexities of certification, and a lack of access to information and support related to certification. To address these obstacles, the Southern Forests Network and our partners are establishing a Group Certification Program that will allow private landowners and local mills to be certified through SFN, greatly reducing the hassles and costs of certification. SFN will begin certifying through pilot programs in Mississippi and North Carolina in 2007. If you’d like to learn more about these projects, contact Alyx Perry at SFN, 828-277-9008, alyx@southernsustai nableforests. org

Support Access to FSC Certification for Family Forest Owners & Small Forest-based Businesses

We are collecting signatures for a petition calling on the Board and Staff of FSC to make a strong commitment of resources to working with community forestry organizations to facilitate access to certification for private landowners and small mills. This petition will be used to demonstrate the large and growing interest in FSC certification and to cultivate support for community-based efforts to facilitate certification for small producers.

Southern Forests & Communities notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network, www.southernsustainableforests.org