PEFC tops 100 million hectares worldwide

Canada?s National Sustainable Forest Management Program has gained endorsement by the PEFC Council. The Program, developed by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), is the 18th national system to attain this international verification for credible forest certification schemes. PEFC endorsed programs around the globe, including Canada, now account for more than 100 million hectares of forests, making PEFC the first forest certification system ever to reach this significant milestone.

"We are delighted that PEFC certified Canadian forest and paper products can now be labelled with the PEFC logo", said Peter Johnson, Manager of CSA International's Forest Products Group. "The PEFC endorsement provides access to international markets for eco-friendly produced forest and paper products. And, the PEFC logo is a clear sign that forest management practices certified by CSA International are in compliance with the principles of sustainability."

"There are now PEFC certified forests in North and South America, Australia and Europe", said PEFC Council Secretary General Ben Gunneberg. "That is the equivalent to about half of all certified forests around the globe. The remaining half is certified by over a dozen other forest certification systems, of whom a significant number are members of the PEFC Council currently working towards attaining PEFC endorsement."

The PEFC endorsement of the Canadian system followed a year long process in which an independent consultant assessed the system and found it to be in compliance with the stringent international PEFC Council requirements. Part of the independent assessment was a public consultation period in which the general public was invited to review and comment on the Canadian system. The comments received and the findings of the consultant were documented in the consultant's detailed assessment report, which, in line with PEFC's rules of transparency and openness, is publicly available at the PEFC Council website at www.pefc.org.

For more information please contact:
Mr Oliver Scholz, Communications Manager PEFC Council
Tel + 352 26 25 90 59
Mr Peter Johnson, CSA International Forest Products Group
Tel +1 416 401-6253
http://certifiedwood.csa.ca

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.

CSA International
CSA International is a provider of product testing and certification services for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas and a variety of other products. Recognized in the U.S., Canada and around the world, CSA's marks appear on billions of products worldwide. CSA International is a division of CSA Group, which also includes CSA, a developer of standards and codes, and QMI, a leading North American management systems registrar. CSA International can be found online at www.csa-international.org

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 100 million hectares (equivalent to 247.1 million acres) 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.