Who Supports Sustainable Forest Certification?

Sustainable forest certification is a rising public expectation that the nation's forest industry harvest private forests on a renewable basis. American Forest & Paper Association's (AF&PA) Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) ^SM program has grown to be the nation's largest forest certification system.

The SFI program is comprised of hundreds of forest product manufacturers, forest owners, and licensees -- all having a strong commitment to stewardship of the lands they own or manage (SFI companies) -- over 136 million acres of forestland in the US and Canada are certified under the SFI program. The American Tree Farm System now has mutual recognition under the SFI program.

Certified forest programs -- such as SFI -- assure that participants comply with standards of sustainable forestry -- which means that forestry meets present wood fiber needs without compromising healthy forests for future generations. SFI companies certify that sustainable forestry is ...reforesting, growing, harvesting and procuring trees to make forest products -- along with the conservation of soil, water, fish and wildlife, aesthetics, and other renewable forest resources over time.

Certified forest companies set high standards of sustainability and professionalism for the forest industry, including those logging and forest operators contracting with them. Certified landowners in Oregon are accountable for conservation practices in their forests, as well as for procured wood. Loggers across America embrace sustainable forestry principles.

Associated Oregon Loggers (AOL) directs the Oregon Professional Logger Program (OPL) that encourages professional growth and knowledge to advance forest stewardship in timber harvesting. Under the OPL program, Oregon logging operators set the professional standards for training, which qualifies logging operators to meet the sustainable forestry program goals of certified forest landowners.

The OPL program is designed by loggers for loggers. An OPL Committee of logging operators sets program standards.