Wednesday, 11 May 2016
FSC Canada Updates its Forest Management Standard
May 11, 2016
As FSC Canada moves forward with the update of its forest management standard, it is engaging stakeholders across all four chambers (Social, Environmental, Aboriginal, and Economic) to ensure the new standard addresses concerns and opportunities.
Two issues of note include implementation of Motion 65, which directs FSC to protect intact forest landscapes (IFL), and Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of First Nations. As expectations about responsible forest management continue to develop in the 21st Century, FSC is a global leader in determining how these concepts are practiced on the ground, and both are important factors for forest management in Canada.
In its July 2016 meeting, the FSC International Board of Directors will vote on a proposal to give FSC Canada more time to develop their forest management standard, specifically the aspects related to IFLs and FPIC. Initially, Motion 65 directed FSC to have standards related to IFLs in place by the end of 2016, but effective stakeholder engagement on the topic is likely to require more time.The FSC Board of Directors will vote on whether to provide additional time.
There are 130 million acres of FSC certified forest in Canada, which represents a 60 percent increase over the last five years. Approximately 25 percent of the Canadian boreal forest under management is not FSC certified.
In a related announcement, Quebec’s Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks Laurent Lessard announced a plan to preserve endangered Woodland Caribou, designating as protected 90 percent of the province’s intact forests. “Maintaining woodland caribou in the boreal forest requires forest management that takes preservation of its habitat into account,” said Minister Lessard. The National Observer covered the announcement.
The Quebec Forest Ministry’s press release is here (French).