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News Release
November 23, 2005: Going for Gold: Final Approval of Forest Stewardship Council BC Standards
MEDIA RELEASE November 23, 2005
Going for Gold: Final Approval of Forest Stewardship Council BC Standards Creates Olympic Opportunities
Vancouver - Today, a significant opportunity was provided to BC timber companies who seek international 'green' approval for their logging practices. The world’s preeminent forest certification system, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), today announced that their new forest management standards for BC are approved and ready for implementation. The FSC-BC Standards are the mark to meet for timber companies wanting to take advantage of the commitment by Vancouver’s 2010 Olympic Committee to green building.
"The final approval of the FSC-BC Standards could not be better timed in relation to meeting the demand for ‘green’ Olympic construction," says Lisa Matthaus, Sierra Club of Canada, BC Chapter. "The hard-won consensus reached by representatives of BC’s forest industry, conservation groups like ours, forest workers and First Nations on these standards will result in forest operations that we’ll all be happy to show to the world."
FSC’s international Principles and Criteria apply around the world, but require translation into standards applicable to a particular geographic area. The BC process involved three public drafts, hundreds of submissions, public meetings, technical briefings, workshops, field testing and a multi-year negotiation process.
"Our organization is proud to have played a lead role in the drafting of practical yet rigorous standards for responsible forest management in BC," says Jessica Clogg of West Coast Environmental Law. "The benefits we are already seeing on the ground from early implementation -clean water, healthy forests, respect for First Nations rights, and enhanced community involvement -make all those years of work worthwhile."
Like organic food certification for food, FSC-certification is a green mark of approval that allows consumers to support responsible forest managers. A number of BC operations, from large-scale ventures such as Tembec’s Tree Farm Licence 14 in the Kootenays to family run woodlots have been successfully audited against earlier versions of the FSC-BC Standards.
"Companies who seize this opportunity and make the shift towards FSC-certified logging will be those best positioned to meet the demand for green wood products," says Amanda Carr of Greenpeace. "FSC is the only certification logo that can assure customers that forest ecosystems and biodiversity are protected, and with environmental organizations watching closely this assurance will be critical in the marketplace."
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Amanda Carr, Forest Campaigner, Greenpeace: 604-839-8760 Jessica Clogg, Staff Counsel, West Coast Environmental Law: 604.601.2501 / 778.327.8964 Lisa Matthaus, Sierra Club of Canada, BC Chapter: 250.888.6267
Topic(s): Enviro News Releases, Fist Nations News, Forestry News, Member News , More Enviro News, Sustainable Business, Sustainable Living News
Posted By EcoBC
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