Newsletter Stories


Friday, 01 October 2004
Blandin Foundation Holds Certification Seminar

Focusing on the Status of Certification of Lands in Minnesota


Last month the Blandin Foundation held a one-day seminar to raise stakeholder awareness about current trends in forest certification in Minnesota. The seminar was the final event in the ‘Good Woods’ Appreciation series, sponsored by Goods from the Woods.

The approximately 100 attendees included forestry industry and organizational representatives, DNR staff, researchers, resource managers, public officials and woodlot owners.

Nationally recognized experts and local resource managers addressed topics such as the differences and similarities between major certification systems; what state, industry and counties are doing to certify their land; and how third-part certification can be promoted among private woodland owners. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty addressed seminar participants on the status of the recommendations that came out of the Governor’s Advisory Task Force on the Competitiveness of Minnesota’s Primary Forest Products Industry. Michael Washburn, Vice President of Forestry and Marketing for FSC-US, spoke on the status of FSC in the US and the growth FSC certification is experiencing due to green buildings and the increasing demand for FSC-certified paper.

Washburn was honored to speak at the conference, and said “the Blandin Foundation has made a substantial contribution to the forestry community’s understanding of certification through this conference. Minnesota is clearly poised to be a national leader in certification. Given the market trends, this was a timely conference and we hope Blandin’s efforts to inform the community on these issues continue.”

For more information about this seminar, please visit www.blandinfoundation.org/cert.cfm