Contributor: CSA Member, Tony Rotherham
Comprising 402 million hectares (ha), Canada's national forest area is the third largest in the world, right behind those of Russia and Brazil. While most of this land is publicly owned, the 11% that lies in private hands is critically important to Canada's social and economic well-being. CSA published CSA Z809 a sustainable forest management standard designed for large forest management areas in 1996. Since then, 65 million ha have been certified to this standard. Now, in a milestone achievement for sustainable forest management in Canada, 53 private woodlots covering 4,250 ha of Nova Scotia's forests have been audited and certified to the new CSA Z804 standard for woodlots and small-area forests. Their story illustrates the importance of standards in resource management.
Scattered across the country, 450,000 private woodlots, many belonging to rural families, scenically flank our roads and highways. But beyond aesthetics, these woodlots are strategically and commercially important; they rank among the most productive forest lands in the country, supplying a disproportionate amount of wood and providing essential rural employment. They also furnish wildlife habitat, natural carbon sinks, soil conservation, watershed management and more. Is it any wonder their careful management is a matter of both private and public interest?
The recognition of this took root in the late 1990s, when environmental groups and forest product customers began taking a keener interest in forest management practices.
"As exporters of this resource to the world, we knew we had to clean up our act; our reputation and our markets were at stake," recalls Tony Rotherham, a woodlot owner and forestry consultant. "A standard and certification program seemed the best way to demonstrate good stewardship. It was enlightened self-interest to move forward with that."
While the CSA/CAN Z809 Sustainable Forest Management standard had been released in 1996, it features a robust public consultation process and has mainly applied to publicly owned land and larger commercial forests.
"Woodlots are a different case. They are generally owned by rural families and are affected by both agricultural and forest policy," says Mr. Rotherham. "They're less than 40 hectares on average and are managed by the owners with help from provincial advisory services. The owners have particular values, such as privacy and property rights, that a standard needs to address."
The Canadian Federation of Woodlot Owners (CFWO) initiated development of a woodlot standard and approached CSA with a seed document by late 2003.
"CSA's technical committee structure was instrumental in delivering a workable standard that covered all the bases," explains Mr. Rotherham, who participated in the seed document development and provided input to CSA. "With wildlife advocates, native groups, academics, woodlot owners and others at the table, we knew that what would emerge would be a comprehensive checklist for good woodlot management."
Published in 2008, the standard is now a National Standard of Canada and has been submitted for assessment and approval by the Geneva-based Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), an international grouping of national forest certification programs.
In the meantime, 53 woodlot owners in Nova Scotia have broken new ground with certification to the standard in a pilot program supported by the NS government.
As CFWO President Peter deMarsh noted on the achievement, "It has been seven years since woodlot owner associations in Canada set out to develop a certification standard that was designed specifically for family forest owners. It's very satisfying to see our efforts now being put to use."
Peter Duinker, professor of resource and environmental studies at Dalhousie University and Chair of CSA's Sustainable Forest Management Technical Committee, added, "This is a milestone achievement for sustainable forest management in Canada. I'm so proud that the first woodland certified to Z804 is right here in my home province."