As is the case with many consumer products, forest products (wood and paper) can be certified by a number of third party standards, including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative ® (SFI), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), American Tree Farm System (ATFS) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). A third party certification audit regarding one of these organization's standards certifies that the products are coming from well-managed, sustainable forests. If you are interested in pursuing forest certifications for your woodlot, our experienced foresters can help you with this process by developing a management plan for your woodlot and assisting with the required documentation.

As of July 1st, 2009, Sappi Fine Paper North America's Sustainable Forestry Program became certified as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Group Managers under the FSC Small and Low Intensity Managed Forests (SLIMF) certificate. This initiative is designed to help small and private landowners access and retain FSC forest management certification on smaller tracts of land. If you, as a landowner, are interested in having your woodlot certified to the Forest Stewardship Council standard, please contact us and we will be happy to assist with this process.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative ® (SFI) program is a comprehensive system of objectives and performance measures which integrate the sustained growing and harvesting of trees and the protection of plants and animals. It is based on the premise that responsible environmental behavior and sound business decisions can co-exist. SFI program participants practice sustainable forestry on all lands they manage and influence millions of additional acres through the training of loggers and foresters in best management practices and landowner outreach programs. Its standards cover forest management and wood and fiber procurement practices in the United States and Canada.

Established in 1990 by an international group of timber users, traders and representatives from human rights and environmental organizations, the FSC is a non-profit entity that supports environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests. This was achieved through the creation of an auditing system to inspect and verify that a forest was operated in accordance with FSC standards.

The PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) is the world's largest forest certification system. Using multi-stakeholder processes, the organization develops forest management certification standards and schemes which have been signed by 37 nations in Europe and other inter-governmental processes for sustainable forestry management around the world. By recognizing and endorsing more than 20 certification systems globally, including the SFI® and the Canadian Standards Association, the PEFC has developed a system of mutually recognized certifications where similar rules and standards are shared and implemented globally.