J.D. Irving Limited’s (JDI) partnership with Natural Resources Canada's Canadian Forest Service has led to the commercial development of advanced tree breeding, field testing and seedling production techniques. Maritime Innovation, JDI's new lab in Sussex, New Brunswick was designed to use advanced seedling production technologies based on selection from our native tree population for a range of high value traits such as fast growth rate, high wood quality, resistance to insects and disease and broad adaptation to climate change. A propagation method called Somatic Embryogenesis is used to produce large numbers of seedling from a broad range of genetically diverse trees which have been field tested across the region. Another aspect of the lab’s research involves fungi which live inside the needles and leaves of trees across our region which are called endophytes. A range of these fungi have been selected because they produce compounds which improve their host tree’s tolerance to insect and disease attack. Methods have been developed to inoculate small seedlings in the nursery with these special fungi which stay with the tree throughout its life. Investing in this technology will sustain diverse forests, contribute to a sustainable wood supply for the forest industry and improve tree tolerance to various insect and fungal pests leading to a reduction in pesticide usage.

Auditors from around Southeast Asia are invited to join our Chain of Custody auditor training session, with a special focus on the Due Diligence System (DDS) for sourcing from smallholders. The training takes place in Yangon, Myanmar, 2-3 May, with an optional field trip and demonstration audit on 4 May. Sign up now! The training costs USD350/person for all three days (including field trip). This includes lunch and training material. The training will be in English. You will receive a certificate of attendance after successful completion of the course. Register for the training! Registration deadline is 25 April 2019. Click Read More below for additional detail.

For decades, only trees in forests came within the scope of forest certification. However, trees also grow outside forests, in hedgerows, scattered on farms, along streets in urban areas… With the approval of our revised Sustainable Forest Management benchmark standard last year, this is set to change. This was the message the PEFC team took to the World Agroforestry Congress, held last month in Montpellier, France. The inclusion of Trees outside Forests (TOF) makes PEFC certification accessible for the first time to millions of farmers who own or manage trees on agricultural or settlement land. This will increase income generation opportunities for rural populations and in parallel support the delivery of a range of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Click Read More below for additional information.