David Mercker with University of Tennessee Forestry shares some interesting information with us on forest certification:
The concept of forest certification has grown as a tool to foster sustainable forest management. It began on the global scale in the 1980s and moved rapidly to the United States.
Initially in the United States, several forest product companies completed third-party certification, followed by many publicly owned forests. Some stakeholders are beginning to discuss the need to accelerate forest certification on family-owned forests.
Family-owned forests are particularly important in the United States because they comprise the majority of the forest land and contribute the greater part of the nation's annual timber removal. Yet little is known about who among this diverse and sizable group will adopt certification on their lands, and why.
In order to examine certification on family-owned forests, UT Extension staff sent a survey to 1,050 landowners in three counties in West Tennessee. Landowners with 40 or more acres of forest land were targeted for the study. The response rate was 51 percent.
The results of the survey are:
The average landowner is 61 years old, has owned his land for 21 years and has 217 acres of forest land. Regarding occupations, 42 percent are retired, 23 percent are professional and 20 percent own their own business.
Participants were given 14 reasons for why they own forest land, and were then asked to rank the reasons. "Timber production" ranked sixth on the list, with the top three reasons being: 1) to pass on to children or other heirs, 2) to enjoy scenery, and 3) to supply food and habitat for wildlife.
One-half of the landowners indicated that they had received forestry advice or information in the past.
Only 3 percent have familiarity with forest certification. Even so, when given a definition of forest certification, 81 percent said they would consider it. The following definition was provided: "Forest certification means that forests are managed in a sustainable manner and that trees are harvested with environmentally sound practices. These management practices are certified by objective third parties. Landowner participation is voluntary."
For landowners, certification will:
Improve forest management.
Increase profits in tree farming.
Satisfy consumers that their wood purchases are supporting good forestry.
Lessen the need for regulation.
Give recognition for the good forestry that is already being practiced.
Be necessary for timber growers to compete in the international market.The Leaf Chronicle
