Monday, 01 September 2003
Pacific Coast and Southwest Standards Approved
Final Endorsement is Culmination of Many Hours of Effort by Volunteers
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) International Board of Directors has endorsed the regional certification standards for the Pacific Coast and Southwest regions of the U.S.A. Regional standards provide specific indicators for application of the FSC Principles and Criteria, adapting them to address region-specific ecological, economic, and social needs.
Final endorsement of the Pacific Coast and Southwest standards is the culmination of many hours of effort by the volunteer members of the regional working groups, led by Nick Brown, formerly of World Wildlife Fund U.S. and now with NatureServe, in the Pacific Coast, and Steve Harrington of The Forest Trust in the Southwest. This stakeholder-based method of standards development is unique to FSC and provides a voice to a broad range of groups and individuals in each region. The FSC-US Board and staff greatly appreciate the commitment of regional working group members and coordinators.
Roger Dower, president of FSC-US, stated that, “We are proud to have endorsed regional standards for the Pacific Coast and Southwest. This was an incredible effort involving volunteers from diverse backgrounds who all came together and committed countless hours toward the development of meaningful and regionally-adapted forest management certification standards for these areas."
The Pacific Coast and Southwest regional standards will begin to be implemented in FSC forest management certification assessments beginning in August 2003.
The Pacific Coast and Southwest standards join the Northeast, Southeast, Lakes States and Rocky Mountain standards as regional standards that have been endorsed by the FSC International Board of Directors. The Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Appalachian, and Ozark-Ouachita standards have been completed and approved by the FSC-US Board and are at various stages in the endorsement process at FSC-International.
More information about FSC standards for forest management in the U.S. can be found atwww.fscstandards.org.