Tuesday, 01 February 2005
New Group Certification Program for Family Forest Owners
Northwest Natural Resource Group and Soil Association Join Forces on Innovative Program
The Northwest Natural Resource Group (NNRG) and the Soil Association’s Woodmark program announced last month a new initiative to make it easier and more affordable for commercial timber growers and family forests in the Pacific Northwest to connect to markets for ‘green’ certified wood products.
NNRG’s Group Certification Program—the first of its kind in the Northwest—brings together multiple landowners under a group forest management certificate. Under the program, fees are dramatically reduced because the cost of certification is spread proportionately among all participating landowners.
Group members also receive the added benefits of sales referrals, market and supply chain development, discounts to educational workshops, and reliable forest management and market information, all critical pieces for making FSC useful to smaller landowners.
The certificate was issued last month, covering a total of 2,770 acres, with seven pilot members in the group. The pilot members produce over a million board feet annually of Douglas fir, alder, western maple, western red cedar, and hemlock, with products including round wood, saw logs, pulpwood, firewood, sawn wood, timbers, furniture, flooring, and mouldings. Ian Hanna, Program Director for NNRG, indicated that they hope to have 60-80,000 acres under the certificate within two years, with 50-60 total members.
“NNRG is working to increase consumer interest in locally grown and sustainably produced forest products,” said Hanna. “Similar to family farms, most small scale and family-owned forest operations are battling the economic uncertainty of globalization and the heavy pressure to convert to real estate development. This program gives landowners a way of differentiating their good work and a connection to consumers that value that work.”
Pacific Northwest markets have grown considerably in the past few years, fueled mainly by green building programs, corporate and government greening initiatives, an expanded retailer network, and export markets to Europe.
Seattle-area retailers are optimistic that NNRG’s program will allow them to better meet growing demand for FSC products. “We’ve been involved in FSC since the beginning, and the market is really starting to mature,” says Charlie Moore, co-owner of Edensaw Woods, a specialty lumber and plywood distributor with stores in Seattle and Port Townsend. “We’ve always wanted to offer more in the way of local species, but haven’t had enough certified land to draw from. I think this program will play a big part in making certification work for the Northwest.”
The innovative program represents the first certification in the United States for Soil Association, a British-based FSC certifier. “We were thrilled to be chosen as NNRG’s certifier and it is great that our first US certificate has been with so innovative a group. Our new streamlined procedures for assessing smaller forest areas have worked well when applied in the US and we look forward to expanding our client portfolio here. We believe in making FSC certification accessible and affordable to all regardless of forest type and size,” said Vanessa Linforth, Certification Program Manager for the Americas.
NNRG promotes innovative forest management strategies that support the health of forest and freshwater ecosystems while enhancing economic development in rural communities. The organization has advocated for FSC in the Northwest for several years and is credited with facilitating the certification of 43,500 acres of forests at Fort Lewis, the first FSC certification on federal land in the United States.
The Soil Association is a UK based environmental non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1946. The Soil Association was created to ‘research, develop, and promote sustainable relationships between the soil, plants, animals, people and the biosphere, while protecting and enhancing the environment.’ Since its foundation the Soil Association has pioneered practical solutions to promote sustainable use of land and natural resources. Woodmark, the Soil Association’s FSC certification program, was one of the first certification bodies to be accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
For more information about NNRG or its Group Certification Program, please contact:
Ian Hanna, Program Director
360-379-9421
ian@nnrg.org