CERTIFICATION AND THE CSA STANDARD

WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATION?

Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) certification is a voluntary tool available to forestry organizations that wish to demonstrate corporate responsibility by having their forest management planning and practices independently certified against a sustainable forest management standard. Sustainable Forest Management refers to maintaining and enhancing the long-term health of forest ecosystems for current and future generations. Certification goes beyond regulatory requirements and takes environmental, economic and social values into consideration.

THE CSA STANDARD:

In 1993, the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) began working with a diverse range of stakeholders interested in Sustainable Forest Management in Canada to develop a Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) program. The resulting standard was first published in 1996 and then revised in 2002 and 2008. The CAN/CSA-Z809 Standard is now a well recognized national and international standard for ensuring that a forest is being managed in a sustainable manner.

The standard recognizes that each province has rigorous legislation and policies for the protection, conservation and sustainable management of forests and is therefore designed to complement, not replace, the existing forest management planning process. Use of this voluntary standard requires continual improvement in forest management performance, broad public participation and regular and independent third-party audits. System components include performance requirements, public participation requirements and system requirements.