Give the Holiday Gift that Keeps on Giving: Recycle!

We are delighted to announce that Hungary is the latest country to achieve PEFC endorsement of its national forest certification system. “It has been more than 15 years since the first initiative to introduce PEFC forest certification in Hungary was launched,” said Endre Schiberna, Hungarian Forest Certification Non-profit Ltd. “So we are thrilled to have finally achieved this long-awaited endorsement.” “The latest process was funded and closely supported by the PEFC Collaboration Fund, which was vital to facilitate the co-operation of stakeholders.” “Endorsement is both an objective achieved and a starting point for our further development,” Mr. Schiberna continued. Click Read More below for more of the story.

Hungarian Forest Certification Non-profit Ltd. is pleased to announce the start of the national public consultation for the Hungarian sustainable forest management standard. Stakeholders from around the country are invited to provide their feedback on the standard by 20 August 2015. “This public consultation is an extremely important opportunity for all national stakeholders to provide their final input into our upcoming standard,” said Endre Schiberna, Head of the Standard Setting Committee.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Forest Stewards Guild have brought together partners who live and work in the Southern Blue Ridge, including Evergreen Packaging, an SFI-certified company, to collaborate on forest conservation approaches. Forests of the Southern Blue Ridge are biologically rich and span Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The area supports a diverse ecosystem, provides recreational opportunities, and is a source of sustainable forest products. Stakeholders have identified mountain oak forests and mountain cove forests as two types of forest worthy of conservation attention, to help ensure the health and vitality of this unique place. Project partners identified areas of collaboration to address a few key themes, with a focus on leveraging the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard. One priority was to examine enhancements to water quality practices for ecological benefits. This aligns well with the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard requirements for all participants to adhere to water quality best management practices (BMPs). Additional themes include leveraging landowner outreach approaches under the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard requirements, piloting land-management practices to connect separately owned parcels of land, and broadening the impact of conservation strategies.