Ilim Group to Allocate RUB 145 mln for Reforestation Efforts

This year saw our members smash through past records for new PEFC-certified hectares! In Australia alone, more than 16 million hectares of forest became PEFC-certified – an achievement that won Australian Forestry Standard (AFS) the top prize for growth during our PEFC Forest Certification Week award ceremony. Second and third place did not do badly either, with Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and PEFC Russia adding 8.2 million and 8.1 million hectares of certified forest, respectively – an amount that in previous years would have easily given them first place! click Read More below for additional detail

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) is pleased to name Melina Gerosa Bellows as SFI’s Chief Education Officer. She oversees the overall strategy and implementation of initiatives under SFI's Education pillar. Prior to joining SFI, Bellows worked at National Geographic for 17 years, where she created and launched the award-winning National Geographic Kids brand and served as Chief Education Officer overseeing all of the children's businesses. Bellows is also a best-selling author and an award-winning freelance writer and blogger. “Melina is a visionary leader who believes in the power of words and education to transform lives and the world we all share. Her ability to reach and inspire youth, combined with SFI’s rapidly growing presence in the education space is going to have a huge impact on the next generation and how they care for forests,” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc. Click read more below for additional detail.

CertforChile and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®), our National members in Chile and North America, have both successfully achieved the re-endorsement of their national forest certification systems. This endorsement not only confirms that they continue to meet our globally recognized Sustainability Benchmarks, but also ensures that certified forest owners and companies in these countries continue to benefit from the global acceptance of PEFC. The first endorsement of the Chilean system back in 2004 was particularly significant as, alongside Australia, it became the first non-European country to be recognized by PEFC. Since then, almost two million hectares of forest have been certified in the country. The SFI program became a PEFC National member in 2001, with the SFI Forest Management Standard achieving PEFC endorsement for the first time in 2005. The SFI program has now grown to cover more than 100 million hectares of forest area in both the United States and Canada – nearly 40% of all PEFC-recognized certified forest worldwide.