Forest Carbon Opportunity for FSC Certificate Holders

American Forest & Paper Association President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement regarding the joint Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Energy letter to Congress on biomass carbon neutrality. “We are encouraged that the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy and the United States Department of Agriculture are committed to taking action on the Congressional directive to produce clear, science-based policies that reflect the carbon neutrality of biomass and recognize it as a renewable energy source. More than seven years of policy uncertainty in this area jeopardizes our companies’ ability to invest in biomass and build and upgrade their facilities. Removing that barrier clears the way for future economic growth and job creation and helps ensure the U.S. is in step with global competitors. That’s a winning combination for everyone.” Click read more below for additional detail.

On behalf of Canada’s leading forest products companies and the 230,000 people we employ in hundreds of communities across the country, I am sending you an urgent letter requesting that the federal government give serious thought to adjusting the procedures and timing of its Caribou Recovery Strategy to achieve a more balanced and sustainable way forward for all. We believe that the current process could jeopardize thousands of jobs and the well-being of hundreds of communities all the while not achieving caribou recovery goals. In some provinces, we believe the current federally mandated process is resulting in a situation where incomplete and ineffective caribou range plans are being developed and may cause unintended harm. We are asking today that the federal government take a step back and reconsider the processes associated with the recovery strategy in order to ensure that the most current science and socio-economic impacts are taken into account. Click Read More below for more of the story.

PEFC and FSC have agreed to jointly collect and publish data on double certification, starting from 2016 onwards. More than 69 million hectares (or 16%) of all certified forests globally are double certified to both PEFC and FSC. This is an increase of 30 million hectares compared to data collected by PEFC in 2012. Double certification exists because foresters in different parts of the world have chosen to use both PEFC and FSC certification for their forest management units to prove their sustainable forest management practices. As their respective certified forest area appears in both the PEFC and the FSC statistics, this has led to inflated numbers of the total global certified area. PEFC and FSC therefore decided to work together to provide a more accurate and mutually agreed estimate for the total global certified area. Click Read More below for additional detail.