Ontario First in World to Receive Environmental Forest Certification

OAXACA, MEXICO - Friday March 23, 2001 - The Honourable John Snobelen,

Minister of Natural Resources for the province of Ontario, and Dr. Maharaj

Muthoo, Executive Director of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), today initiated

a bilateral process that will result in FSC certification of all Crown-owned forests

managed in compliance with Ontario law and the products derived from those forests.

This is the first FSC certification of its kind in the world. FSC recognizes

that wood harvested on Ontario Crown lands will bear the FSC trademark.

"This is an outstanding achievement for the Government of Ontario and builds

on the strength of Ontario's Living Legacy in conjunction with the strengths of

the FSC standards," Minister Snobelen said following Thursday's day-long meetings

with the FSC leadership in Oaxaca, Mexico.

The highest level of commitment from the FSC was based on the fact that

Ontario companies are already engaged in the practice of sustainable forestry under

The province's stringent forestry laws.

"FSC will tell the world that the Ontario government has worked with all the

stakeholders to ensure that our standards are met. This will serve the

forestry companies very well in Ontario by meeting world standards through our

certification process," said Dr. Muthoo.

Today's agreement will lead to the establishment of a set of bilateral

meetings and a process to achieve a formal agreement in April (2001).

FSC is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to promote

The environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable

Management of the world's forests. In this context, FSC certification ensures that

forests are being managed responsibly, and the FSC trademarks are a guarantee that the

products that bear them are derived from forests managed according to

internationally recognized social and environmental standards.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Brett Kelly

Minister's Office

TORONTO (416) 314-1100

James Sullivan

Forest Stewardship Council

OAXACA 52 9 514-6905

Modified 23-Mar-01

Robert J. (Roj) Miller

Forest Mensurationist

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

Forest Management Branch

Forest Evaluation and Standards Section

70 Foster Drive, Suite 400

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

P6A 6V5

Phone: (705) 945-5812

Fax: (705) 945-6605