Certification on state land
In 2003, Gene Merriam, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, declared his intention to have all state lands "certified" by 2007. Certifying forests means an outside auditor examines whether the state's forest management is sustainable.
Certified wood products can be sold at a premium to customers who care about their business practices and public image. In the United States, companies such as Home Depot, McDonald's, and Time Warner AOL have started to demand lumber or paper products from certified forests.
Certification can also improve ecosystems, by protecting important wildlife habitat, old growth forests, and waterways from logging. However, the rules are only as strong as the attention citizens pay to them.
There are several different kinds of certification, each with different rules and standards. Minnesota is preparing to certify with two systems: Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Sustainable Forests Initiative (SFI).
The auditors held a scoping period in July 2005. Citizens were encouraged to submit comments. In October, they will conduct field assessments, and then meet with commenters in November. They will write up a draft report and send it through peer review, and finally present a final report to DNR in 2006. Certifications come with conditions that identify areas where improvement is needed.
FSC standards relate to logging practices and to which forests may be logged. For example, logging old growth is not allowed, nor is the establishment of new tree farms allowed. Sierra Club supports the program as a whole, though we have questioned individual forest certifications. Read about how it works.
Sierra Club is part of a national campaign called "Don't Buy SFI" because the rules and promises of this industry-developed system are too weak to be sustainable. For example, 3rd party certification is not required with SFI, but is required with FSC.
Sierra Club has a national volunteer committee to set policy on certification issues.