Press Release: from American Tree Farm System
The American Forest Foundation (AFF) announces that Time Inc. will accept wood from Group Certified Tree Farms, as certified content meeting the standards of its CSF (Certified Sustainable Forests) program, based on an agreement to revise some interpretations of the Tree Farm Standard. This agreement followed lengthy and productive discussion of interpretations, particularly with respect to water quality and Best Management Practices (BMPs), special sites, and biodiversity.
AFF is committed to continuous improvement of its Standards in these and other areas and will report to Time Warner and other stakeholders on a quarterly basis about our progress.
To achieve Tree Farm group certification, a full, third party audit of the applicant must be completed according to the protocols set by the American Tree Farm System (ATFS).
ATFS Group Certification verifies, through independent assessment, that groups of landowners are individually practicing sound and sustainable forest management.
"We are very pleased that Time Inc. is accepting ATFS Group Certified wood. We're committed to our landowners and the group certification process. Many of our landowners will benefit from this arrangement,"
stated Bob Simpson, Senior Vice President, Forestry Programs, American Forest Foundation.
ATFS began its Group Certification process in 2002 with four pilot programs. Following these years of growth and development, the ATFS Group Certification program has welcomed 1.4 million acres of private forestland into ATFS. More than 80 accredited lead auditors have been trained to conduct the crucial third party group certification audits.
"Certification is a complicated process that has to work for forest owners as well as manufacturers and their customers - if it's going to work at all," said Laurence Wiseman, President, AFF. "We share Time Inc.'s commitment to continuous improvement and welcomed the opportunity to expand the scope and scale of our field indicators to determine conformance with the Standards."
The American Tree Farm System (ATFS) is a national program that promotes the sustainable management of forests through education and outreach to private forest landowners. Founded in 1941, ATFS has 30 million acres of privately owned forestland and 53,000 family forest owners who are committed to excellence in forest stewardship. Tree Farmers manage their forestlands for wood, water, wildlife, and recreation with assistance from 5,200 volunteer foresters.
The American Forest Foundation is a nonprofit organization working for healthy forests, quality environmental education, and informed decision-making about our communities and our world. Our vision is to be recognized for our commitment to sustainable forestry, quality environmental education, and wildlife habitat and watershed protection.
For more information contact Brigitte Johnson, APR, Director of Communications, 202.463.5163, or email [email protected].
