Introduction to the proposed amendments to the PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard

Responsible Wood is incredibly grateful for the efforts of those battling bushfires and remain primarily concerned for the wellbeing of people and communities affected by the bushfires. Responsible Wood, our PEFC member in Australia, has released a statement following the devastating fires in the country: Our thoughts are with those affected by the bushfire crisis along with the firefighters, emergency services and the many thousands of volunteers working to protect and support communities across Australia.

Greenpeace International has informed the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) that it will discontinue its international membership with FSC for the year 2018. In line with its overall decentralization approach, Greenpeace will allow national offices to determine if and how to best engage with FSC and forest management more broadly. In some countries – Canada, the United States and New Zealand for example – Greenpeace will remain members of FSC International.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) committed in its latest annual progress report to continue advancing sustainability through forest-focused collaborations by maximizing its efforts in standards, conservation, education, and community. SFI’s 2019 report, entitled “Forests of Opportunity”, recounts the organization’s accomplishments encouraging and certifying the latest best practices in sustainable forest management with all its partners in Canada and the U.S. The report reflects the organization’s belief in the wealth of possibilities for economic growth, job‑creation and community building available by taking advantage of the values, goods and services provided by sustainably managed forests and sustainably sourced forest products. “Forests provide an opportunity to maintain and recover biodiversity and sustain a variety of conservation values, including clean water,” Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI said in the foreword to the 2019 report. “But to seize these opportunities, forests must be sustainably managed and forest products must be responsibly sourced.”