LP recognizes that several certification standards are available in North America, including The American Tree Farm System (ATFS), The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and The Canadian Standards Association (CSA). All of these systems, we believe, provide effective approaches to managing forest resources legally and sustainably.
LP’s plans for managing impacts on biodiversity in the license lands we directly manage, which are all located in Canada, are outlined in our Forest Management plans, and filed with the appropriate government agencies in each province. These forest management plans are subject to public review and comment.
All of the forests that LP directly manages in North America are SFI certified. With the completion in March 2007 of SFI certification for our EWP (engineered wood products) mills, all of LP’s North American mills are SFI certified.
The vast majority of commercial forestland in the U.S. is owned by non-industrial and family forest owners. Every day, LP foresters deal with family landowners and tree farmers who are committed to taking care of their land for future generations. But many small landowners don’t have the extra resources for a costly land certification process and may not see the need for it.
Since most of the commercial forestland in the U.S. isn’t certified, LP has turned to the independent Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) because it includes process requirements to help ensure this vast amount of wood from private lands comes from sustainably managed
forests.
LP generally obtains its timber locally, from an 80-mile radius around our mills, saving energy for transport and supporting local economies. LP prefers to purchase timber from land certified by SFI, the American Tree Farm System, the Canadian Standards Association or the Forest Stewardship Council when it is available. But when the source is not certified, as is often the case with small family-owned forests, LP’s SFI-certified procurement process helps to ensure that
timber comes from responsibly managed land.
Customers who wish to promote their commitment to responsible forestry through on-product labeling may choose to use a chain-of-custody label.
In March of 2009, LP added dual SFI and PEFC chain of custody certification to eight of our Engineered Wood Products, Siding and OSB mills - keeping labeling options open for our customers.
Chain-of-custody certification is a tool used to track wood fiber from a certified forest to the consumer, providing a link between certified forestlands and certified products. Through SFI and PEFC's chain-of-custody certification, LP can accurately identify the percent content from certified forests in a product.
The chain of custody is verified by an independent third-party certification audit, where a claim can be made regarding the certified content, similar to recycled content claims. Customers and consumers alike who look for the SFI-PEFC certified content label on LP products
are rewarding responsible forest practices.
PEFC, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes is the world’s largest forest certification umbrella organization. It
helps buyers identify the best performers by endorsing national and/or regional forest certification standards that meet rigorous criteria. PEFC has the support of trade unions, state authorities, environmental organizations, forest owners and managers, and timber traders and, as
well as producers and retailers of paper and timber products.
In 2005, the SFI program - from its development to its forestry content, chain-of-custody certification and accreditation policies - was endorsed by PEFC after a detailed examination by a PEFC-approved assessor.
PEFC’s sustainable forest management criteria are founded on internationally recognized criteria and indicators developed by government agencies around the world.
SFI:
http://www.sfiprogram.org/sfi-standard/sfi-chain-of-custody-requirements.php
PEFC:
http://www.sfiprogram.org/sfi-standard/forest-certification-endorsement.php
PEFC Fact Sheet:
http://www.sfiprogram.org/files/pdf/PEFC-international-2009-02.pdf
* Practices that are above and beyond SFI standards
LP Engineered Wood Products Fiber Sourcing Certificate 2008
Louisiana Pacific Corp SFI Certificate