Obtaining a third-party certification of your management systems is challenging. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative requires an independent review of management plans, actual harvesting, protecting special resources, working with the local community that includes on the ground assessment and speaking with stakeholders in the region along with annual audits by qualified third party auditors to verify compliance with forestry practices based on 13 Principles, 17 Objectives, 41 Performance Measures, and 141 Indicators.
Once a company is certified under the forest management or fiber sourcing standard, the company is required to participate in the State Implementation Committee that amplifies the SFI within the State.
In West Virginia, we have grown the past two years with two new companies obtaining SFI Certification:
- Lyme Time Mountaineer
- Cole and Crane Trust
These companies are joining the others:
- Weyerhaeuser Timberlands
- BSA Summit Reserve
- Conservation Fund
This adds up to over 400,000 acres meeting the SFI Forest Management Standard nearly doubling in the past two years alone.
West Virginia also has three companies that meet the SFI Fiber Sourcing Certification Standard:
- WestRock
- Weyerhaeuser Heaters
- Weyerhaeuser Buckhannon
- Pixelle Specialty Solutions
These companies produce millions of tons of finished paper products that are in part sourced from well-managed forests.
West Virginia is leading on sustainable solutions by managing and producing the finest hardwood products in the world.
To learn more about SFI, go to www.forests.org.
