|
| The Polish Forest Certification Scheme has been endorsed by the PEFC Council following a rigorous assessment process. The Polish system is the second new forest certification scheme to achieve PEFC endorsement this year after Estonia.
Dr Jaroslav Oktaba, Secretary General of PEFC Polska said "We are delighted with the endorsement as it provides choice for our forest owners and also for the timber and paper sectors which play an important role in our national economy and our trade links with other countries. The international recognition of our national system means that companies can fully participate in the global trade of certified products."
Mr Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General of PEFC added "As with all national forest certification schemes endorsed by PEFC, the standards are publicly available on our website, as is the full independent assessment report which was used to guide PEFC's decision."
"The evaluation report includes the now mandatory Panel of Experts peer review which provides an extra level of scrutiny, transparency and accountability which is unique in the assessment of forest certification schemes," Mr Gunneberg underlined.
Forest cover in Poland is 8,6 million ha, almost 28% of the country. About 82% of the forests belong to the State, while approximately 1,4 million forest owners own 16% of the forest land. An average private forest holding is about 1ha/owner.
ENDS
For more information contact:
Mr Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General PEFC Council, Tel: +352 26 58 90 59
Dr Jaroslav Oktaba, Secretary General PEFC Polska, Tel: +48 693 835 379
|
