News Environment & Sustainability Forestry
SFI approves new certification standards for 2022

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) has developed new standards for its 2022 certification that it says will help to mitigate climate impacts, help with resiliency to fire threats and support diversity.

More than 152 million hectares are certified to SFI’s standard in forest management, and millions more are certified to the organization’s standard for fibre sourcing.

Requirements for a new SFI Climate Smart Forestry Objective are one of the highlights of the new standards. SFI-certified organizations will now be required to ensure forest management activities address climate change adaptation and mitigation measures.

“Our hopes to mobilize forests for climate will depend on influencing forest practices across as many acres as possible, helping to infuse them with science-based approaches to achieve resilient carbon sequestration and healthy forests for our future,” says Jad Daley, president and CEO of American Forests.

“Forest certification is the dream device to make this connection with landowners across North America, and SFI has done an outstanding job of assuring that this new SFI standard will help catalyze the climate-smart forestry we need.”

The organization is also introducing a new SFI Fire Resilience and Awareness Objective, which will require SFI-certified organizations to limit susceptibility of forests to undesirable impacts of wildfire and to raise community awareness of fire benefits, risks, and minimization measures.

Th updated SFI standards also promote respect for Indigenous rights, representative institutions and traditional knowledge to align with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Specific measures require that SFI-certified organizations are aware of traditional forest-related knowledge, such as known cultural heritage sites, the use of wood in traditional buildings and crafts and flora that may be used in cultural practices for food, ceremonies or medicine.

SFI updates its standards regularly to reflect the latest scientific information and respond to new issues.

Standards are created in consultation with engagement with the conservation community, Indigenous communities, the forest products sector, brand owners, private forest landowners and public forest managers, government agencies, trade associations, landowner associations, academia, and the public.