The ministry’s small business program is testing three forest certification systems in pilot projects across the province.

Third-party verification of sustainable forest management is increasingly important to all markets for B.C. forest products.

Of the three systems in use in B.C., the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 14001) certifies corporations, while the Canadian Standards Association and Forest Stewardship Council criteria apply to the forest being managed. The CSA includes performance measures developed through local public advisory groups. Though regional FSC standards are still being developed for B.C., certifiers are applying principles and criteria used elsewhere in the world.

The SBFEP is also developing a province-wide environmental management system (EMS) this year. An EMS has the user set targets for environmental objectives, manage for those objectives and monitor its performance against those objectives. The EMS will prepare the SBFEP to move toward certification. It will be useful as well for the Vancouver Forest Region, which is pursuing ISO 14001 certification.

The projects:

ISO 14001 is being tested on the Sunshine Coast and in the Prince George, and Salmon Arm forest districts.

SBFEP will test the CSA/SFM system in the Fort St. John Forest District and is involved in a joint initiative with all 12 licensees in the Kamloops Timber Supply Area. In the Morice TSA, SBFEP will work with Canfor and Houston Forest Products to test CSA/ SFM.

The FSC site is in the Kootenay Lake District, where MOF staff will test FSC principles and criteria in the West Arm Demonstration Forest.

For more information visit: www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfe or call the Small Business Forest Enterprise Branch at (250) 387-1261.

www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfe

www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfe/certification/certific.pdf

www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfe/pwcreport.pdf