Newsletter Stories


Monday, 01 September 2003
Minnesota Again Takes Lead in Forest Certification

Aitkin County Land Department is the First Public Land to Renew Continuous FSC Forest Management Certification


With the expiration of its original five-year contract and the subsequent successful reassessment of its forestlands this month, the Aitkin County Land Department becomes the first public land to renew a continuous Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) forest management certification. In 1997, Minnesota led the way in third-party forest certification with the successful FSC-certification assessment of 223,000 acres of forest managed by the Aitkin County Land Department (ACLD) and 340,000 acres managed by the Department of Natural Resources. Both FSC assessments and certifications were carried out by the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program.

Throughout its initial years of certification, Aitkin County continued to improve its forest management, making for better on-the-ground forestry practices and helping to prepare for re-certification. The ACLD has implemented an ecological classification system to aid in identifying forest types, natural communities and specific management alternatives. It has also developed specific guidelines for addressing concerns related to rare, threatened and endangered species. The county has developed a fully realized strategic plan available for public review, a computerized system for formulating management prescriptions, and has hosted numerous field tours and workshops to demonstrate what FSC certification looks like on the ground. Foresters and land managers in Aitkin County have been regularly interviewed and invited to speak at public events, as well as asked to comment on and review other certification applications.

“The FSC is proud to announce the renewal of Aitkin County’s certification. They were one of the first public lands to seek FSC forest management certification, and we’re extremely happy that the value of the FSC system has encouraged them to renew that commitment," stated Roger Dower, FSC-US President.

“The Aitkin County Land Department is by all counts a model of sustainable forest management on public lands. In addition to supporting several sensitive species and exceptional biological communities, the forest plays an integral role in maintaining the economic vitality of the region, as well as the rural quality of life in Aitkin County," noted Dave Bubser, SmartWood’s Regional Manager for the United States. “The ACLD forestry staff have been progressive and innovative leaders in weaving ecological forest management considerations into the commercial production of timber."

Aitkin County has been a leader in promoting the market benefits of FSC certification. As a direct result of FSC certification in Aitkin County, Minnesota can now boast over one million acres of total FSC-certified forests in the state, and nearly 25 primary and secondary manufacturers that are chain-of-custody certified to use the FSC logo on products made from wood harvested from FSC-certified forests.

“The independent, third-party nature of FSC certification has given credibility to our forestry program and should steadily enhance our local forest products industry," said Mark Jacobs, ACLD Assistant Land Commissioner.

For more information about Aitkin County lands, please contact Mark Jacobs, Assistant Land Commissioner,             (218) 927-7367      .