What is Certification?
TYPES OF STANDARDS
Two types of standards promote responsible environmental practices, and Weyerhaeuser embraces them both.
The first type is unique to forestry and specifies particular environmental practices, such as prompt reforestation of logged
areas and protection of streams and wildlife habitat. Three forestry standards are specific to North America:
There are also two international "umbrella" programs:
- The Forest Stewardship Council, an international standard with regional
variations. The FSC standard originally was developed for tropical areas where effective governmental regulations of forestry
practices did not exist. FSC standards in North America (although not in some other regions) generally discourage some silvicultural
practices that are important to intensive, commercial forest management.
- The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, an international
umbrella organization for the assessment and recognition of national forest certification standards. It now endorses over 30
sustainable forest management standards (including SFI, CSA and ATFS), which account for more than 570 million acres of
certified forestland. Globally, two-thirds of all certified forests are certified to PEFC.
The second type of standard prescribes the management systems and practices needed to ensure that a company's environmental
policies and standards are effectively implemented. The most widely accepted standard is the
International Organization for Standardization ISO 14001 Environmental Management System.
SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT STANDARDS
In the 1990s, concern over forest conservation prompted the establishment of several different sustainable forest management
standards. The differences between these standards were, and to some extent still are, a function of their origins. They
were founded by different interests and tailored to national differences in government regulation.
Over time, however, business realities and societal expectations have narrowed the differences. Many independent
observers now believe that all of the major certification systems are credible standards for sustainable forestry.
All have third-party certification procedures that validate a participant's compliance with the requirements in the standards.
Certification to all the major sustainable forest management standards ensures that forests are managed in ways that:
- Address both timber and nontimber forest values
- Maintain forest productivity and biodiversity
- Protect soil and water
- Offer aesthetic, recreational, cultural, and wildlife benefits
The development and administration of sustainable forest management standards are controlled by independent boards. These
boards have representation from environmental organizations, forest products companies, and the wider forestry community
and represent the environmental, social, and economic values required for sustainable practices.
With the exception of the American Tree Farm System, sustainable forest management standards also set rules for documenting
the source of wood used in a product and the conditions under which a product can carry a certified product label.
Find more about our environmental management system
standards.
WHY WEYERHAEUSER CHOSE SFI®
We chose to use the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® standard for our U.S. and Canadian operations because it:
- Is accepted in the marketplace and satisfies our own and our customers' procurement policies.
- Reflects the legal institutions and requirements in North America.
- Offers the best fit with our management strategies to derive economic, environmental and social benefits from the forests
we manage.
WHAT INDEPENDENT OBSERVERS THINK OF THE STANDARDS
Independent organizations have verified that the standards established by the Canadian Standards Association, Forest Stewardship
Council, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, and Sustainable Forestry Initiative® are all credible systems.
For example:
- The Central Point of Expertise on Timber, which is the United Kingdom's government agency that assesses forest certification
systems, determined that SFI, CSA, PEFC and FSC fully meet the agency's criteria for evidence of legal and sustainable
sources of forest products.
- In 2010, Dovetail Partners, Inc released a
report wherein they concluded, among other things that "Significant changes have occurred within the major certification
programs in recent years, and, . . . it is increasingly difficult to differentiate between certification systems in North
America."
- In 2008, the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers issued a statement on forest certification standards in Canada saying:
"The forest management standards of the Canadian Standards Association, the Forest Stewardship Council, and the Sustainable
Forestry Initiative are all used in Canada. Governments in Canada accept that these standards demonstrate, and promote the
sustainability of forest management practices in Canada." Governments in Canada accept that these standards encourage the use of
wood or wood products certified to a credible third-party sustainable forest certification program, including SFI.
- The U.S. General Services Administration Solicitation for Offers requirement (Section 7.4) encourages the use of certified
wood for all new installations of wood products, and references FSC United States and SFI for more information.
- Public Works and Government Services Canada requires all wood products used in its building projects to be certified under
one of the three certification programs that operate in Canada: SFI, the Canadian Standards Association or the Forest Stewardship
Council. The department believes all three programs effectively promote more sustainable management of Canada's forest resources.
- Terrachoice Environmental Marketing lists the SFI label as a credible eco-label in its 2010 Seven Sins of Greenwashing.
You can read the report here.
