2016 was a fantastic year for the PEFC Alliance, as we welcomed six new national members to the family – but 2017 could be even better! As has become the tradition during our General Assembly, representatives from countries actively developing national forest certification systems were invited to speak – and this year we had a very busy agenda, with Cambodia, Mexico, Nepal, Philippines, Republic of Congo and Viet Nam all taking part. “There was no interest in forest certification, until PEFC came to our country,” said June Alvarez from the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development. “Since then, we have led an education campaign, started drafting our national system and begun the creation of a national governing body – all with the assistance of PEFC International.” click Read More below for more of the story

While Koehler may be a globally active company, it doesn’t focus exclusively on the big stuff. Its immediate surroundings also play an important role for the company. This is equally true when it comes to recruiting employees as it is with preserving the environment. So it came as no surprise when theKoehler Paper Group’s environmental officer, Rolf Peter, actively supported the campaign day “A Half Day for the Environment”. Other Koehler employees also took part. The task of the day was to build bird nesting boxes that would serve as breeding grounds for cavity nesters – such as the great tit, blue tit, nuthatch, starling, redstar, black flycatcher and the two sparrow species – in the ecologically important and scenic orchard meadows of Kugeleck.

Covering more than 400 million acres – and representing 25 percent of the world’s remaining intact forest – the Canadian boreal forest is larger than many countries. There are more than 500 indigenous communities in the boreal and 400,000 Canadians rely on the forest for their livelihoods. It is also the source of huge quantities of wood and fiber for customers in Canada and the US. In short, the Canadian boreal forest is an important place that delivers a wide range of values, some hotly contested. First Nations recognize the boreal forest as their ancestral lands. Forest managers see opportunities for economic development and jobs. Environmentalists focus on the vast swaths of intact forest and habitat for many species, including woodlands caribou. On the surface, these interests may seem to be in opposition. In reality, they can be aligned if the forest management respects environmental and social values. But this alignment does not happen by accident; it is the product of hard work among parties to find solutions in the common interest.