The NWFA has created customized tool kits to assist with responsible forestry certification. The kits-one for manufacturers and another for sawmills-provide detailed guidance on preparing for the initial Chain of Custody and Controlled Wood audits.
"It's estimated that about 90 percent of the world's forests are not certified," said NWFA CEO Michael Martin. "This creates a real problem for our industry to prove its products come from renewable sources, even though nearly all of the timber our members use comes from U.S. renewing forests. This is the purpose that the RPP serves-to provide a tangible way to measure and promote best environmental practices, rather than just creating another green initiative not based on tangible proof."
To that end, the NWFA was involved in the recent FSC certification of 12,000 acres of forestland in South Carolina. The project was headed by the RPP's FSC Procurement Group, and it marked the group's first major project.
After overtures from Anderson Hardwood Floors' (Clinton, S.C.) timber buyer, South Carolina's White Wood Timber Group met with the FSC to discuss certification via both the FSC and the RPP. During those discussions, International Paper contacted White Wood to inquire about FSC-certified pulpwood. Based on information provided by the FSC Procurement Group, White Wood was able to mobilize landowners to do the initial group certification.
"What's even more rewarding, however, is that the certified acreage is expected to grow to 80,000 [acres] in just five years, combining the resources of landowners in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida," said Don Finkell, NWFA RPP Governance Board chairman and president of Anderson Hardwood Floors.
The White Wood certification was also made possible through a grant from a Wood Education and Resource Center grant made possible by the Rainforest Alliance. The FSC Procurement Group was originally established under the direction of the RPP.
"This is a tremendous accomplishment for the FSC Procurement Group as it represents a significant increase in FSC-certified wood," Martin said. "The efforts of Anderson to initiate the relationship and foster the certification process are testimony of Anderson's commitment to the RPP program and environmentally conscious forest management."
Five wood flooring manufacturers are currently certified under the RPP, including Anderson Hardwood Floors, Augusta Flooring (Waynesboro, Va.), Mannington Hardwood Floors (Salem, N.J.), Mullican Flooring (Johnson City, Tenn.), and Sheoga Hardwood Flooring & Paneling (Middlefield, Ohio). Several more companies are expected to complete the process of becoming RPP members by the end of the year, and more information on joining can be found here.
In related news, the 2010 FSC market survey was recently published online. More than 3,500 companies in 29 countries contributed, and FSC said the survey is proof that its label is continuing to gain momentum in developed and emerging markets worldwide.
