Tuesday, 01 June 2004
Massachusetts State Forests Granted FSC Forest Management Certification
Certification of State's 500,000 Acres Represents A Comprehensive Effort Among Several State Agencies
Last month Massachusetts announced their FSC certification for 500,000 acres of state forest, wildlife and watershed land. Certified lands are managed by different agencies of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA), including the Department of State Parks and Recreation (285,000 acres), Department of Fisheries and Game (110,000 acres), and the Division of Water Supply Protection (104,000 acres). Watershed lands of the Wachusett, Sudbury, and Quabbin reservoirs, and the Ware River, are included in the announcement.
With this certification, Massachusetts becomes the first state where multiple forest management agencies have joined forces to earn certification of all of the publicly managed state forestland. The certification was granted by Scientific Certification Systems.
“Today we’ve received independent verification that our land management stewards are managing Commonwealth lands in the best long-term interest of both the environment and the people of Massachusetts,” said Massachusetts Secretary of Environment Ellen Roy Herzfelder. “This certification demonstrates that state agencies can effectively balance the needs of diverse stakeholders. This is a significant achievement towards Governor Romney’s goal of a World Class Park System. The recommendations contained in this comprehensive report will serve as our blueprint for further improvements in our forest management program. A bonus of this process is that by working more closely together, our agencies have improved management in an efficient way. We hope our management will be used as a model for the 2 million acres of private forestland in Massachusetts. Although we’re the 3rd most densely populated state, Massachusetts is also the 8th most densely forested state and our forest and the spiritual and economic benefit it provides are important to the Romney Administration.”
Wayne Klockner, Massachusetts State Director of The Nature Conservancy said, “The Nature Conservancy applauds the Commonwealth for pursuing this initiative. Green Certification should be a part of responsible forest management and will ensure the conservation of the rich biodiversity of Southern New England forests.”
The evaluation team identified a number of strengths in the overall management of the Commonwealth’s forests including effectively managing for multiple public interests and uses, making management decisions based upon resource conditions and not financial demands, and most recently undertaking a monumental ecoregional planning effort.
“Massachusetts joins a noteworthy group of states that have undergone FSC certification, demonstrating that their practices adhere to the highest level of responsible forest management,” said Dr. Robert Hrubes, SCS’s Senior Vice President and a registered professional forester. “Ensuring exemplary management across multiple state agencies is a tremendous achievement and something that Commonwealth residents should be proud of achieving.”
During the evaluation, a team of four nationally-known natural resource professionals from SCS conducted a two-week field audit of representative portions of the forestlands. The SCS team observed a full cross-section of management activities and forest conditions in all regions of the state. In total, the evaluation team visited 70 field sites. The team also consulted with key stakeholders, including agency personnel and contractors, local community groups, municipal authorities, tribal representatives, local land owners, environmental organizations, regulatory personnel, forest industry groups, and other user groups.
“We are extremely excited that the Commonwealth has achieved FSC certification of its forestlands,” said Roger Dower, President FSC-US. “Certification to an internationally recognized standard is a critical step for forest managers seeking to deliver wood to the burgeoning green building industry.”
Other State forestlands with FSC certification include Pennsylvania, New York, Maine, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Minnesota.