Forest

Forest Certification

In April 2002 Lake Rotoaira Forest achieved Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification by the international certification program (certification number SGS-FM/COC-1016). FSC certification means that the forests are managed according to a set of environmental, social, economic and cultural standards. The forests have been independently inspected and evaluated according to FSC criteria.

FSC certification provides independent confirmation that our forest and land are being managed in a sustainable manner. As well, it gives us greater long-term certainty for future market access: certification is increasingly being requested in the markets where wood products made from our logs are ultimately sold.

Who is the Forest Stewardship Council?

FSC is an international non-profit organisation founded in 1993 to support environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, economically and culturally viable management of the world's forests. They have developed ten Principles and Criteria for forest stewardship and using these, all forests aiming for certification are evaluated by independent, accredited organisations. Certified forests are visited on a regular basis, to ensure they continue to comply with the Principles and Criteria. Products originating from FSC certified forests are eligible to carry the FSC logo.

What is Forest Certification?

Forest certification is the process of assessing forests and forest management practices against a predetermined set of environmental standards and the subsequent issuing of a certificate to confirm that they are in conformance with the requirements. Certified forests are managed in an environmentally, economically and socially responsible way.

Why Certify?

Adopting an environmental certification system requires an environmental management system, creating a process to address environmental concerns by identifying and controlling operations that produce adverse environmental impacts. FSC provides a truly independent, international and credible labeling scheme on timber and timber products. This provides a guarantee that the product has come from a forest which has been evaluated and certified as being managed according to social, economic, environmental and cultural standards.

For more information visit the Forest Stewardship Council website.