Madison, WI The Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) 2022 SFI Implementation Committee Success Award announced at the 2022 SFI / Plant Learning Tree (PLT) Annual Conference today. The committee has been selected for its collaborative efforts to produce a series of four flexible training videos that promote sustainable forest development and raise awareness of the new requirements of SFI.
The videos highlight the role of SFI certification in Quebec, explain the SFI’s new climate for modern forests, and provide best practices for conserving biodiversity and maintaining health and safety. In addition, the videos cover road construction and maintenance, harvest planning and conservation areas. Watch a short video highlight. (All four videos are available in French on the training website of the Quebec SFI Implementation Committee.)
“These exciting new videos will help woodcutters and timber producers in Quebec to further their knowledge of sustainable forestry, certification and the new mission of SFI’s new climate-modern purpose,” said SFI President and CEO Kati Abuso. “This is good news for the forest sector and to promote environmental sustainability in the state.”
The Quebec SFI Implementation Committee, in collaboration with the Quebec Forest Manufacturers Federation, is working to ensure that the videos are accessible to 134,000 lumber owners in Quebec, who in turn will improve their training for woodcutters. The combination of online promotion and field visits helps to make the videos public. Individual cutters and other members of the forest will also have access. The Quebec SFI Implementation Committee monitors access to videos to measure their impact. These videos are supported by the SFI Community Donation Program.
Professional loggers are better equipped to protect the environment. This emphasizes logger training in both the SFI Forest Management Standard and the SFI 2022 Fiber Sourcing Standard. Promoting and using qualified log professionals is also a requirement of SFI 2022 Fiber Sourcing Standard.
“This training addresses SFI’s new requirements, includes the Climate Change Division and is useful for staff working in public and private forests. Thanks to the support of our 10 partners, we expect more than 500 employees to use the platform every year to watch these videos, said Luis Sergei Gagano, Regional Fiber Manager, Westrock and Quebec SFI Implementation Committee Chair.
The Quebec SFI Implementation Committee has partnered with several regional partners to implement this project. Their collaborative approach confirms that the videos are well-suited to all of Quebec’s vast forest regions. SFI-certified forests cover more than 31 million hectares (77 million acres) and more than 73% of certified forest land.
About SFI Implementation Committees
SFI responds to local needs through state, regional and regional SFI implementation committees. These committees work with environmental, forestry and professional associations, universities, government agencies, landowners groups, conservation groups and many more. They play a key role in promoting logarithm training, landowner informing, youth and adult education, community participation, SFI work loyalty, and responsible local forest development. Since 1995, SFI-certified organizations have contributed nearly $ 75 million to support local programs through SFI implementation committees.
