The Certification Chain Forestry Innovation Investment MoFR Provincial Leadership Forum November 19,

Agenda ■ Who we are ■ Certification context ■ Forest certification in British Columbia and Canada ■ Green building

Who we are ■ Forestry Innovation Investment: agency of the government of British Columbia ■ Mandate to promote B.C.’s sustainable forest practices and products around the world

Certification Context

Industry overview ■ Forestry is a key driver of economy – 15% of provincial economic activity ■ Forest companies directly employ 81,000 people in rural communities ■ 40% of provincial exports by value ♦more than 80% of output sold outside Canada in 2007 (including pulp and paper)

Global Procurement Trends ■ Trend towards national procurement policies and assessment criteria for timber. ■ Proof of legality and sustainability of forest products. ■ Assessment criteria reference certification standards. ■ Public procurement policies are being positioned as national standards and act as a catalyst for private sector procurement ■ FII working with industry and Canadian government to retain access to markets

Global Green Building Trends ■ Globally, buildings are responsible for 20-40% of water consumption, energy use, greenhouse gas emission and solid waste generation ■ Life cycle assessment studies show that wood products yield clear environmental advantages ■ Green building rating systems (LEED, Green Globes, NAHB, in North America) are used by professionals to evaluate the environmental impact of structures. ■ Rating systems often rely on certification as assurance that wood used in buildings is coming from a sustainable source.

Certification in British Columbia and Canada _________________________________ An overview

The B.C. and Canadian context ■ B.C. has one of the world’s strongest regulatory frameworks for forestry, and enforces it ■ Against that backdrop of high standards, voluntary certification provides an extra layer of assurance of well-managed forests ■ B.C. and Canadian governments recognize CSA, FSC, and SFI certification systems ■ Within those systems there are really 2 types of certification

1. Certification of forest management ■ Assurance that forests are sustainably managed

2. Certification of chain-of-custody A Chain of Custody: ■ Provides a measure of the portion of a wood product that has been sourced from a certified forest ■ Provides assurance that any uncertified portion is from legal and non-controversial sources. ■ Provides the ability to use product labels and make promotional claims

Standards recognized All of the certification standards currently in use in B.C. and Canada promote the principles, criteria and objectives that are viewed as the basis of sustainable forest management around the world. ■ CSA (Canadian Standards Association) ■ FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) ■ SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) ■ PEFC (Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification)

14 Mutual recognition of certification programs 4 Standards in Canada (includes one under development) FSC International GLOBAL ‘UMBRELLA’ PROGRAMS Endorse national programs meeting a certain common level. STANDARDS ENDORSED IN B.C. and CANADA

15 Key common elements Performance: CSA, FSC and SFI standards all promote the principles, criteria and objectives that are viewed as the basis of sustainable forest management around the world: ■ All laws are obeyed ■ No wood from unauthorized or illegal sources ■ Sustainable harvest levels are ensured ■ Harvested areas are reforested

16 Key common elements Performance: ■ Conserve biological diversity ■ Maintain wildlife habitat and species diversity ■ Protect / maintain special sites ■ Maintain soil and water resources ■ Protect forestlands from deforestation and conversion ■ Aboriginal rights and/or involvement ■ Protection of worker rights

17 Key common elements Public Participation: ■ Require public disclosure (of audit results and other documents) ■ Public dialogue (public comments during review periods, and/or an ongoing basis) ■ Involve, and are supported by, conservation groups Systems / Processes ■ Audit of forest planning and practices ■ Accredited certification bodies ■ Social, economic and environmental representation in decision-making

18 Key common elements Chain of Custody Certification of a Chain of Custody is available to complement Forest Certification. ♦Verifies the origins of wood products Labels ■ Labels available to mark products with that have a valid Chain of Custody certification and meet specific label use requirements.

19 Achievements ■ The amount of land certified in B.C. and Canada has grown rapidly ■ Virtually every major forest company has now achieved certification…and certification is becoming a priority for small forestry operators and private land owners ■ The fact that there is a choice of standards makes certification more likely, and this strengthens forest management ■ Certified forests now cover most of of B.C.’s working forests

20 Forest certification globally

21 Choosing certified products In North America ■ CSA, FSC and SFI are supported by government and recognized in the procurement strategies of retailers such as Centex Homes, BMHC, Hallmark Cards, Lowes, Office Depot, Staples, and Time/AOL Globally ■ France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the EU Parliament all consider FSC and PEFC certified wood to be legal and sustainable

22 Supporting sustainable forest management ■ The major forest certifications standards recognized in Canada all promote sustainable forest management and provide assurance of well-managed forests (CSA, FSC, SFI) ■ Maintaining a choice in certification standards and a free market improves global forest management standards (competition is good) ■ Focus on the 90% of the world’s forests that are not certified.

23 Conclusion When choosing and using wood products, customers are looking for products from responsible and sustainable sources that embrace these principles: Harvest legally Regenerate promptly Reduce waste, and support recovery and recycling Reduce greenhouse gases and help fight climate change Welcome independent scrutiny of how they manage forests

24 Resources New Brochure: ■ Canadian Wood. Sustainable by Nature. Renewable by Design ♦16-page brochure ♦Architects, builders and key market influencers ♦Showcases innovative and unexpected architectural uses ♦Wood as a green building material

25 Resources (continued) New Brochure: ■ Tackle Climate Change, Use Wood (Canadian Edition) ♦16-page brochure ♦International markets and regulators ♦Highlights industry climate change accomplishments ♦Role of forests and products in mitigating climate change ♦Paper, wood and biomass

26 Resources (continued) Building Green with Wood ToolKit ■ Generic PowerPoint presentation supported by fact sheets ♦Partnered with Forintek ♦11 modules ♦Customizable for a variety of audiences ♦High impact photos with Science-based graphs and charts ♦Notes provided

27 Resources (continued) B.C. Certification Tool ■ Search by ♦Certified lands ♦Product ■ Powered by Metafore ■ Reliable, up-to-date

28 Additional Resources Life Cycle Assessment Tools Athena EcoCalculator BEES (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability) software Bcforestinformation.com Building Green with Wood Canadian Wood: Renewable by Nature, Sustainable by Design Tackle Climate Change, Use Wood B.C. Wood Product Directory Certified Wood Portal Building Rating Systems BREEAM Green Globes LEED NAHB