Luxembourg forest certification system on the Internet for public consultation

The Luxembourg national forest certification system has been submitted to the PEFC Council for endorsement and has entered the public consultation period. The independent consultant TRADA Technology Ltd will assess the certification standard to examine its conformity with the strict PEFC Council requirements.

"I am delighted to see that the PEFC Council's host country, Luxembourg, has joined the growing number of national schemes worldwide seeking PEFC endorsement", said Henri Plauche-Gillon, Chairman of PEFC Council, "It is good to see that Luxembourg has made the effort to develop its own national independent certification scheme adapted to its national conditions."

Mr Joseph Crochet, President of PEFC Luxembourg, explaining the reasons for developing a national standard in a multi-stakeholder process said, "Over one third of Luxembourg is covered with forests, providing high natural diversity and they contain a high percentage of broad-leaved trees. Half of the forests are in private hands and 70 % of these private owners own less than two hectares, often spread on different plots. A certification system specially adapted to the Luxembourg conditions is therefore a necessity."

Mr Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General of the PEFC Council said: "The public consultation is a very important element in the PEFC assessment process. I therefore invite and encourage all interested parties to review the Luxembourg certification system on our website at www.pefc.org and send any comments directly to the consultant TRADA Technology Ltd by 31 January 2005. Their final report, which will be published on the PEFC website, will form the basis of the decision by all members of the PEFC Council on endorsement."

The standard can be reviewed under: http://www.pefc.org/internet/html/members_schemes

Consultants
TRADA Technology Ltd
Jupiter House
High Street
Tattenhall
Cheshire UK
CH3 9PX
Tel. +44 1829 770 438
Mobile +44 7831 559 116
E-mail: wbw@canopy.u-net.com

Applicant
PEFC Luxembourg a.s.b.l.
Sekretariat
Mr Georges Glesener
124, rue des Aub?pines
L-1145 Luxembourg
Tel +352 44 47 46
Fax +352 89 95 68 40
E-Mail: georgesglesener@hotmail.com
http://www.pefc.lu

PEFC Council
PEFC Luxembourg
Secretary General
Mr Ben Gunneberg
17, rue des Girondins
L-1626 Luxembourg
Tel +352 26 25 90 59
Fax +352 26 25 92 58
E-mail: pefc@pt.lu
http://www.pefc.org

Editor Notes

Forest Certification
Forest certification is a process which provides an assurance mechanism to purchasers of wood and paper products that the wood used in the products comes from sustainably managed forest. Sustainably managed forest are those whose management implements performance standards based on internationally agreed environmental, social and economical requirements.

PEFC Luxembourg
PEFC Luxemburg a.s.b.l. was established in August 2002 to develop a national certification system in Luxembourg for sustainable forest management that will be compatible with the international PEFC Council requirements. It is a joint initiative of federations of forest owners, industry, agriculture, hunters and sawmills in Luxembourg. Further information on PEFC Luxembourg in German are available at http://www.pefc.lu.

PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes)
PEFC is a framework for the mutual recognition of credible national or regional forest certification schemes that have been developed based on internationally recognised requirements for sustainable forest management. Since its launch in 1999, PEFC has become the largest forest certification umbrella organisation covering national schemes from all over the world, delivering hundreds of millions of tonnes of wood to the processing industry and then onto the market place from over 52 million hectares of certified forests. PEFC has strong grass roots support from many stakeholders including the forestry sector, governments, trade associations, trade unions and non-governmental organisations.