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Canada’s forest certification standards reaffirmed

Canada’s national standard for sustainably managed forests, and its companion standard for woodlots, was recently reaffirmed by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).  There are over 40 million hectares independently certified to…

Canada’s national standard for sustainably managed forests, and its companion standard for woodlots, was recently reaffirmed by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).  There are over 40 million hectares independently certified to the two CSA forestry standards.

The CSA forestry standards: CAN/CSA Z809-08 (R2013) and CAN/CSA Z804-08 (R2013) were reaffirmed for a further three years on February 28, 2013, following a ballot vote of the CSA Technical Committee on Sustainable Forest Management.

John Dunford, chairman of the Forest User Group representing the CSA certified forest companies in Canada, noted that “The CSA standard has been applied extensively in Canada in large part due to having the highest requirements for community involvement in forest management. The reaffirmation of the standard will provide stability for companies and the Public Advisory Groups while continuing our commitment to the responsible management of Canada’s public forests.”

The CSA standard is internationally recognized for delivering on the full suite of forest sustainability criteria. This includes: natural forests and wildlife habitat, water and soil protection, contributions to carbon uptake and storage, and recognition of, and respect for, Aboriginal rights and title.

The standard also requires ongoing public dialogue with local advisory groups, reflecting the Canadian context where more than 94% of forests are publicly owned.

For more information about the CSA standard and SFM User Group, visit http://www.csasfmforests.ca