AF&PA Thanks Congress for Reaffirming Federal Regulatory Policy on Carbon Neutrality of Forest-Based Biomass

In a fast-changing world the Forest Stewardship Council is fundamentally changing its risk evaluations for forests. The next generation of risk assessments will replace the current way of assessing risks in forestry as part of the current controlled wood concept. In an enhanced approach the new risk assessments will be of use for the production of FSC Mix products within the current controlled wood concept; but will also serve as a tool for risk evaluation in regards to new legal requirements such as the EUDR. These new risk assessments will therefore become an invaluable tool for companies to efficiently assess and mitigate risks. While doing so, FSC is going one step further by aiming for an alliance between partners facing similar challenges. This Risk Information Alliance will foster global sustainability leadership by collaborating with other sustainability leaders. The focus is on developing a single, standardized Risk Assessment framework that will benefit both certified and non-certified companies.

The Vietnam Forest Certification Office (VFCO) is our latest member that has achieved PEFC endorsement of its national forest certification system. “Realising that our national standards meet and even exceed the global sustainability benchmark in sustainable forest management strengthens our belief that we are on the right track to build an accessible national forest certification system. PEFC endorsement has recognized all our national collective efforts,” said Dr. Nguyen Quoc Tri, Director General of the Vietnam Administration Forest. The certification of 12,000 hectares of Acacia and Rubber plantation by VFCS before the endorsement by PEFC has shown the substantial determination of Vietnamese stakeholders to make the national system work.

John Mullinder started his journalistic career in New Zealand before emigrating to Canada in the mid-1980s. Over the past 27 years, Mr. Mullinder has led a national environmental council for the country’s paper packaging industry. Frustrated by encounters with people who knew so little about forestry and paper production but had plenty of opinions about killing and saving trees, John was compelled to write a book called, Deforestation in Canada and Other Fake News. “Many people believe that cutting down trees is deforestation and the emotional image they associate with this is an ugly clear cut,” states Mr. Mullinder. “I debunk these myths with hard facts, well-documented evidence, references and real images of deforestation.” Deforestation is often incorrectly defined and associated with the forestry products industry. In reality, deforestation is defined as the permanent destruction of forests to make the land available for other uses. One reason Mr. Mullinder chose to show an agricultural scene on the cover of his book is to point out that the primary causes of deforestation are due to agriculture, oil and gas projects, and urbanization. Click Read More bellow for additional information.