Forest Matters November 2016
Director’s Overview Contents 3
News in Brief
4
Out and About in October:
4 Annual Members’ Meeting
5 The Print Show
6 Timber Expo
7
New Board Member
8
UKWAS Update
10
Guest Feature: Glasfryn Sawmill
12
Case Study: PictureFrames
15
Thank you
16
FSC Certified Christmas Trees
18
Get to Know FSC France
20 Forest Plans 22
Guest Feature: Anglia Print
23
FSC General Assembly
24
FSC Friday 2016
27
Snows Timber
28
Certification Bodies Suspended
29
Project Certification Forum
31
Survey: Controlled Wood Strategy
32
Guess the Product & FSC in Numbers
Dear Reader, Welcome to the November edition of Forest Matters. FSC® UK has enjoyed a busy couple of months, celebrating FSC Friday in September (see p. 24) and spending much of October in the NEC Birmingham, at The Print Show and then at Timber Expo (see p. 5 & 6). We’ve also faced some challenges, having received confirmation from the FSC Policy & Standards Committee that there’s more work to do on the recently submitted draft 4 of the UK Woodland Assurance Standard (p. 8) and notifications of two certification bodies’ FSC accreditation being suspended (p. 28). We are working with FSC International and the UKWAS Steering Group in the hope that a revised UK standard receives approval as soon as possible. We are also hopeful that the suspended Certification Bodies will soon be able to resolve their non-conformities with the FSC accreditation standard to regain their accredited status, as Exova BM Trada did successfully to enable their suspension to be lifted on 16th August this year. On a merrier note, as the festive season approaches, we spoke to Arwell Roberts, Managing Director at Glasfryn Sawmill about their FSC certified Christmas trees (p. 16). Glasfryn have a great story to tell, forging ahead with the processing of FSC products under a single FSC Forest Management certificate - find out how on page 10. Don’t forget to look out for FSC certified cards and wrap – and gifts if possible! Tweet us with your festive FSC finds @FSCUK.
Rosie Teasdale Executive Director, FSC UK
News in Brief Christmas Card Recycling Sainsbury’s is providing an in-store Christmas card recycling service to support us to help protect the world’s forests.
p5
p6
The Print Show and Timber Expo October was an exciting and busy month for us, first exhibiting at The Print Show and then at Timber Expo, part of UK Construction Week.
Customers can recycle their Christmas cards at selected stores from Boxing Day.
p4
Annual Members’ Meeting at ZSL London Zoo
p8
UKWAS Update There is still more work to do on UK Woodland Assurance Standard version 4.
The meeting gave UK members an opportunity to hear about our work over the last financial year and our plans for the future.
p28
Certification Bodies Suspended p29
Wanted: Consultative Forum Members For Project Certification Standard
Bureau Veritas and Holzforschung Austria have been suspended from issuing FSC certificates worldwide.
All stakeholders are invited to register their interest in taking part in a consultation about technical issues relating to the revision of the Project Certification Standard (FSCSTD-40-006). Image credits: © Sainsbury’s; © FSC UK; © Forestry Commission
3
FSC UK News
Out and About in October October was an exciting and busy month for FSC UK, beginning with the Annual Members’ Meeting (AMM) in London and followed by two weeks at the NEC, first at The Print Show and then at Timber Expo, part of UK Construction Week. Annual Members’ Meeting
T
he AMM, held at ZSL London Zoo on 6th October, gave UK members a chance to hear about the work of FSC UK over the last financial year and our plans for the future. At the meeting a new Trustee, John Tewson, was appointed to the FSC UK Board. John recently left the Forestry Commission after over 35 years involvement in forest management and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Foresters. You can read his full profile on page 7. Trustees Constance L. McDermott, (Senior Fellow in Ecosystem Governance at the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford) and Jon Kirkpatrick,
(Ex-Head of Sustainability, Lendlease Europe), were also officially elected to the board. FSC veteran, and social chamber member, Hubert Kwisthout, was re-elected to the Board. Following the AMM, members enjoyed a presentation about FSC and Climate Change by Mark Kemna of FSC Netherlands, chaired by FSC UK Trustee, Mike Bekin. The session focussed on the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) work being done by FSC Netherlands and provoked discussion of some pertinent issues in the UK context.
Interested in becoming a member of FSC? If you are interested in becoming a member, please take a look at the Membership section of the FSC UK website: http://www.fsc-uk.org/en-uk/getinvolved/membership or get in touch for more information.
4
The Print Show
I
Left: Denmaur Independent Papers (FSC®C013669)
f you are in the print and paper sectors, you may have seen our articles in Print Monthly magazine this year detailing our current specification and procurement campaign and highlighting the benefits of applying the FSC labels (and brandmarks). The Print Show gave FSC UK an excellent platform to speak with individuals and organisations throughout the print supply chain; from paper manufacturers and merchants to procurers and printers. Being at the show reinforced the validity of our project aims:
Right: Traditional book binding at the show
1. To better link FSC certified and labelled print supply and demand; 2. To ensure procurers understand the FSC system and can access FSC certified and labelled materials; 3. To ensure FSC certified suppliers have the right tools and support to promote their FSC certified products to their clients and make the most of their certification.
Left: Antalis UK (FSC®C101533)
Above: Harrier Group (FSC®C015161)
To this end, FSC UK equipped all FSC certified exhibitors with plaques promoting their FSC certified status. We were heartened by the large number of enquiries we had from printers interested in achieving FSC certification. We left the show having made contact with people from a range of sectors, and we look forward to working with them to develop and achieve our project objectives, whilst better understanding their support and assistance needs.
All FSC certified UK printers are being contacted with project information and resources. If you work in the print and paper industries or are a procurer of print and are interested in finding out more, please get in touch by contacting info@fsc-uk.org
Image credits: © FSC UK
5
Timber Expo
A
rushed weekend, a van repacked and it was off to Timber Expo, part of UK Construction Week. Our current focus on specification and procurement extends not only to print but also to construction - two very different industries perhaps, but with common procurement issues. Again, FSC is seeking to join up the dots between contractors and suppliers, and tendering organisations and those tendering for contracts. Unfortunately, all too often we find that the right questions haven’t been asked at the right times and organisations have experienced unnecessary difficulties. It is often assumed that it is enough just to use an FSC certified supplier or to specify FSC certified materials from an uncertified supplier - however, as most FSC certified suppliers stock both FSC and non-FSC materials and only FSC certified companies can ensure full chain of custody (providing official evidence of FSC certification in the form of invoice claims), it is essential to ensure both supplier and materials are FSC certified.
Left: Gripsure Ltd (FSC®C109573)
At Timber Expo we spoke to a large number of visitors from a range of sectors - both those supplying and those procuring. Our new procurement factsheet and template procurement policies for the private and public sectors were well received, as were the FSC quick-reference infographics and certificate holder welcome packs on display, which are being dispatched to all new and renewing FSC certificate holders in the UK. As at the Print Show, FSC supplied plaques promoting their certification to all FSC certificate holders. We were also in attendance for the launch of the Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI) manifesto, which confirmed a focus on sustainability. We look forward to working with CTI and others in the future to promote wood as the responsible manufacturing and construction material it can be. http://www.cti-timber.org/content/ cti-launches-new-industry-manifesto If you would like to learn more about FSC UK’s procurement projects or would like information about FSC certification or FSC in general, please get in touch by emailing info@fsc-uk.org.
Useful resources:
Right: Glennon Brothers Timber Ltd. (FSC®C006033)
Procurement factsheet: http://www.fsc-uk.org/ preview.fsc-and-procurement-factsheet.a-90.pdf
Left: Metsa Wood UK Limited (FSC®C002779)
Specifying FSC Certified Timber: http://www. fsc-uk.org/preview.specifying-fsc-certified-timberfactsheet.a-102.pdf FSC and Printed Materials: http://www.fsc-uk.org/ preview.fsc-and-printed-materials.a-683.pdf
Image credits: © FSC UK
6
Welcome
John Tewson Appointed to the FSC UK Board
J
ohn Tewson was appointed to the FSC UK Board at the Annual Members’ Meeting this year. John recently left the Forestry Commission after over 35 years involvement in forest management and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Foresters, spending nearly a decade on the management board of Forest Enterprise England. He has spent the last five years as Head of Forestry and Land Management. His varied experience includes lowland broadleaved forest management in the East Midlands and upland conifer management in Northumberland. He has ensured Forest Enterprise have continually retained their FSC and PEFC certification, and promoted the UK Woodland Assurance Standard within the 30 European State Forest Organisations members.
“I am delighted to have been elected to the board of FSC UK at this years’ Annual Members’ Meeting. To me, FSC means responsible, safe and renewable - and similar things to millions of people. For FSC to continue to uphold its qualities, FSC standards have to be balanced and reasonable - particularly for the growers. I hope my 30+ years experience as a forest manager with the UK’s largest timber grower can be applied in helping to increase the amount of certified timber produced in the UK.” We are delighted to have John on the FSC UK Board and look forward to benefitting from his experience. © FSC UK; © B.Morton / FSC UK
7
UKWAS
More Work To Do on UK Woodland Assurance Standard Version 4 The UK Woodland Assurance Standard, or UKWAS, is the standard used in FSC forest management certification in the UK. The standard is being revised to take account of stakeholder views and current circumstances, including changes to FSC’s international Principles and Criteria.
T
he draft of UKWAS 4 submitted to FSC International earlier this year has not been approved by the Policy and Standards Committee (PSC), so more work must be done if it is to be approved as an FSC national forest stewardship standard. “One of the challenges of the FSC system is to balance the local adaptation of national forest stewardship standards like UKWAS with the need to fulfil the international FSC Principles
and Criteria and achieve some level of global consistency,” says FSC UK Forest Standards Manager Dr Owen Davies. “The deliberations of the Policy and Standards Committee are a key part of ensuring that balance. In this case they have decided that the current draft of UKWAS 4 does not take sufficient account of FSC’s International Generic Indicators (IGIs). This is something we have to take seriously, as the IGIs are intended to contribute to global consistency among national standards.” Dr Hans Joachim Droste, Policy and Standards Director at FSC International, says “We respect the huge amount of work that has gone into the revision of the UK national standard, which forms a solid basis for further work. But the current version of the Principles and Criteria is more specific in its requirements than the previous version, and we feel that there are number of areas where the draft UK standard does not fully address those requirements. We are confident that further refinements can be made and the standard reconsidered for approval within a reasonable time-frame.”
8
© FSC UK
More detailed feedback from FSC International on the draft of UKWAS 4 is expected in November. Peter Wilson, Chair of the UKWAS Steering Group, says “We are extremely disappointed by this decision. The UKWAS partners warmly welcomed FSC’s renewed global focus on outcomes and our Steering Group members, supported by FSC UK, have spent many hundreds of hours preparing UKWAS 4; we believed the standard as drafted had achieved an appropriate focus on sustainable forest management outcomes in the UK context. We will of course work closely with FSC UK and, through them, FSC International to identify the best way to conclude the revision. Our Steering Group will meet in early December to agree next steps, the options include making a formal appeal against this unexpected PSC decision.”
© FSC UK
These developments may delay the planned roll out of UKWAS 4, which was scheduled for the end of this year; UKWAS 3.1 will remain valid as the FSC national forest stewardship standard for the UK in the interim. If you have any questions, please contact Owen at owen@fsc-uk.org.
9
Guest Feature
Certified Homemade Glasfryn Fencing and Sawmill in North Wales (FSC®C018622) has become the first UK forest management certificate holder to produce FSC certified processed products from a fixed processing facility within the certified area without a separate Chain of Custody certificate.
A
lthough all of the forest management certificates in the UK have a chain of custody element (hence their FM/COC codes), their scope is usually limited to products which have undergone little or no processing, such as roundwood. Through its certification body, the Soil Association, Glasfryn have taken advantage of a standard interpretation from FSC International which allows processing facilities to be included in the scope of an FM/COC certificate provided certain conditions are met. These conditions include: • The processing facilities must be owned or managed by the organisation holding the FM/COC certificate. • All the timber must come from the certified forest management unit, i.e. no timber may be bought in from elsewhere.
• The processing facilities must be audited against the applicable chain of custody standards. “We’re well aware that many small woodland owners who produce processed goods have been frustrated about the need for a separate chain of custody certificate, which has often made producing certified goods prohibitively expensive,’ says FSC UK’s Owen Davies. “We’re delighted that Glasfryn are now able to use their own timber to produce FSC certified processed goods within the scope of a single FM/COC certificate, and we hope that other small producer processors will be inspired to follow their lead.” Glasfryn is a vital element in the rural economy of the Llyn peninsula. It utilises its own forests to supply fencing and other products, reducing transport costs and keeping money in the local economy.
“It is only natural that the forest
and its products should carry the FSC logo. ”
The forest and sawmill operate in unison, with material harvested to meet demand with exemplary efficiency and every scrap of material utilised in the most valuable way possible.
10
“It is only natural that the forest and its products should carry the FSC logo and the helpful work of Soil Association and FSC UK has allowed us to simplify everything. We are all for a common sense approach which reduces unnecessary workload. It is this kind of can-do attitude which shows certification in a better light and will provide an incentive for others to certify.” If you’re a woodland owner creating processed goods from your own timber and think you may benefit from this approach, ask your certification body for more details.
Soil Association have auditors dual qualified in Forest Management and Chain of Custody auditing, and are able to complete both elements in a single visit - this saves time and money for all parties. Arwel Roberts, Managing Director of Glasfryn said, ‘An integral part of our management of this historic resource is an organised felling and restocking programme, which allows more trees to be planted than are harvested. Harvesting is achieved with the very latest machinery whilst restocking includes planned planting programmes as well as natural reseeding. Over the years our management of these plantations has gained almost 50 national awards.
Image credits: © Glasfryn Fencing and Sawmill
Keep up-to-date with us on Social Media!
Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook 11
Case Study
Putting Forests Firmly in the Frame PictureFrames (FSC®C007915) are proud to be the only FSC certified framers in the world to offer a fully comprehensive and bespoke framing service.
F
ounder Hope Elletson started a picture framing business in his garden shed in Salisbury, in 1989. Soon after starting, he moved into a large workshop in an old grain store on a working farm where he built the business for the next ten years. The first version of Pictureframes.co.uk went live in 1997, at which point it was the only picture framing website in the UK. The company moved to its current location on the Wincombe Business Park in Shaftesbury in 2000, and in 2006 started a fine art and photographic printing service alongside the framing services.
PictureFrames works for private customers, artists, galleries and corporate customers which have included Disney, P&O Cruises, Guinness World Records, Buckingham Palace and Rolls Royce Motor Cars. On reading the 1999 environmental bible “Natural Capitalism”1, Hope had a nagging feeling that he was in an industry which caused a lot of trees to be cut down but didn’t have any significant measures in place to ensure that those trees were cut down in the right way. Three years ago, the business started to change direction, and now PictureFrames is the only full service bespoke picture framing & printing company in the world who is FSC certified. The team at PictureFrames believe that responsibly sourced timber is a very environmentally friendly construction material, but unfortunately one that’s not always responsibly sourced. According to the WWF Living Forests model2, half of the world’s tropical forests have been destroyed over the last century. If business as usual continues, up to 170 million hectares of additional deforestation will occur by 2030, and large areas of remaining forest will continue to be degraded. WWF states: “By choosing FSC certified products, you can be sure where they’ve come from, and that they won’t have been harvested in a way that causes damage to forests, people and wildlife.” Left: Heart & Soul exhibition
12
“We have even had to
establish new supply chains for almost all of our materials and hold vastly increased stocks in order to be able to meet the FSC requirements.”
Everything that PictureFrames promotes face-to-face is now FSC certified, and over 88% of the frames on the website is FSC certified. Hope expects to reach 100% on the website within the next six months. For some customers it has not yet been possible to source FSC certified materials, but the team ensure that materials bought for these customers are not promoted to others and they are constantly moving established customers over to FSC alternatives. Heart & Soul exhibition This year PictureFrames received major recognition for their sustainability efforts when world famous wildlife artist Gary Hodges chose them to frame all of the work in his Heart & Soul Exhibition. The exhibition raised over £160,000 for two charities - the Born Free Foundation and the Environmental Investigation Agency (See article in the September edition of Forest Matters). Here’s what Gary had to say about PictureFrames: “After some research online, we found the perfect match for our goal with the frames... pictureframes.co.uk. Everything they use, from frames to backing board, comes from responsibly managed forests. It was a huge exhibition, but the 174 framed pictures were all delivered without fuss on the dates requested.” Hope says “It’s early days at the moment - it took a long time to change our whole portfolio over to FSC certified materials, but I feel that the certification and motivation behind it has a great resonance with many artists. I am hoping that we will get a job to frame an exhibition in Berlin next year where the FSC certification will be a major factor for the artist.” Further to being selected to frame the exhibition, PictureFrames were chosen as finalists for the Blackmore Vale Media Green Award.
Above: The PictureFrames team
“Do it ‘from the heart’ and make
long term plans - because in time, legislation and public sentiment will demand that irresponsible timber practices are eradicated.”
Meeting the FSC standards Claire Randall, Office Manager at PictureFrames says: “As part of meeting our FSC audit requirements, we have ensured that above our comprehensive filing, purchasing and sales records, all FSC products are monitored through our workshop and kept record of on a monthly and yearly basis. Training has taken place with every member of staff to ensure a depth of understanding regarding the importance of using FSC materials and products, and the tracking of them in each department. We can also check to see that companies we choose to do business with are adhering to the high standards we have put in place and the customer has complete peace of mind that at every stage we have adhered to FSC Standards.” Committed to sourcing FSC PictureFrames faced a huge challenge ensuring that every timber based component in their frames and prints came from an FSC certified supplier. At the outset, less than 1% of the mouldings available in the UK were FSC certified, not to mention mount-board, backing board and printing paper. Image credits: © Neil Wray / PictureFrames
13
As a result, the business had an extensive portfolio of natural timber mouldings especially milled and now finishes over 80% of frames in house. Every possible finishing method is used from the ancient, traditional gilding techniques through to modern water-borne spray finishes. The upshot of this is a better finished product and far greater opportunities for quality, creativity and style - things the company constantly pursues. This achievement has involved a huge change of direction for PictureFrames, with significant investment made in both time and money. Compared to when they first started, their offering is now radically different, and in most cases to anything else in their industry. They have even had to establish new supply chains for almost all of their materials and hold vastly increased stocks in order to be able to meet the FSC requirements! Earlier this year they had a big sale to shift some of the non-FSC stocks of mouldings that they no longer offer as part of their range. They gave £1,607.92 (a third of the proceeds of this sale) to the charity Hope and Homes for Children.
Above: At the Heart and Soul Exhibition, artist Gary Hodges with Virginia Mckenna, co-founder of the Born Free Foundation
Advice to others considering FSC certification Hope says to anyone thinking of becoming FSC certified: “If you’re in an industry like we are, which is ‘way behind the curve’ on timber certification, then you have an opportunity to make it your USP as we are doing. However, significant short-term business benefit is unlikely, so do it ‘from the heart’ and make long term plans - because in time, legislation and public sentiment will demand that irresponsible timber practices are eradicated.” http://www.pictureframes.co.uk/fsc-certifiedpicture-frames/
Sources: 1. Natural Capitalism; P.Hawken, A. B. Lovins, and L. H. Lovins; 1999 Rocky Mountain Institute. 2. WWF ‘Deforestation Fronts’; http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/deforestation/deforestation_fronts/ Image credits: © Neil Wray / PictureFrames
14
Thank You
A Big Thank You We would like to thank the companies below for supplying furniture for our stand at the Timber Expo last month. The pieces made a real impact with our presentation of materials and allowed visitors a opportunity to comfortably sit and talk with our team.
Grange Fencing Ltd (FSC®C018354)
Rowlinson Garden Products Ltd (FSC®C010986) Robert Dyas Holdings Ltd (FSC®N001627)
Image credits: © FSC UK
15
Product Focus
Would You Buy Two-week-old Flowers? The people at FSC certified Glasfryn Fencing and Sawmill (FSC®C018622) are passionate about trees – and at this time of year, particularly the kind of tree symbolic of presents, mince pies and Santa: The Christmas tree. We interviewed Arwell Roberts, Managing Director, about the varieties they sell and how they are grown. What makes your trees so special? Simple – they’re fresh-cut to order, ensuring quality and longevity over the Christmas period, and importantly, are harvested in a way that ensures zerowaste. By not cutting in bulk, we don’t create an excess of un-sold trees – meaning smaller trees (that might have been cut down), continue to grow into larger Christmas trees for the following year! Some of these older growth trees sold reach as tall as 30ft, one being housed in Bangor Cathedral this year!
What kind of varieties do you offer? We grow and sell four varieties of Christmas tree – Norway Spruce (Picea abies), Nordmann Fir (Abies nordmanniana), Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) and Noble Fir (Abies procera). Norway spruce used to be very popular, so popular in fact that it was the only variety we grew. But it has gradually gained a reputation for being too dry and causing unwanted needle-drop. However, because all our Norway spruce is cut on-demand, if customers keep their tree in water over the Christmas period, they should experience no problems with dropping needles.
16
How does Glasfyn grow its trees? We manage our forest to FSC standards, using a planting method that ensures trees are grown in an environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable way. In the case of its Christmas trees, this involves planting them along the edge of forest tracks so they are ‘saw-handy’ and can be cut in short intervals – eliminating the need for bulkharvesting. People often don’t consider the care that needs to go into the cultivation of a Christmas tree. Extra attention needs to be given to enable a successful growth, including base-stimming and the thinning-out of other tree species that may smother them.
What planting plans do you have in place?
Arwel’s top tips for a needle-free Norway spruce Christmas: 1. Make sure your tree is as fresh as possible 2. Cut around ½ an inch off the base to allow for efficient water-uptake 3. Place in a stand that has a water holder and submerge, topping up every few days
Did you know?
After Christmas, we have a planting plan that ensures all trees cut are successfully re-planted - a sustainable approach that guarantees a fresh growth of trees for the following year.
Real Christmas trees use 10 times fewer materials and five times less energy than artificial trees. They are also completely biodegradable.*
How can people order a Christmas tree from you?
Also selling FSC certified Christmas trees this year:
Glasfryn offer an independent delivery service. To order your Christmas tree you can contact us on 01758 750 623 or email info@glasfrynfencing.co.uk
The Crown Estate (FSC®C102073) are selling Norway spruce and Nordman fir Christmas trees: http://www. windsorgreatpark.co.uk/en/activities/christmas-treesfirewood
www.glasfrynfencing.co.uk
The Forestry Commission (FSC®C123223) are selling FSC certified Norway spruce Christmas trees: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/christmas
Image credits: © Glasfryn Fencing and Sawmill. Sources: * Forestry Commission: http://bit.ly/2em6qJY
17
Letter From...
Get to Know... FSC France With COP21 having taken place last year in Paris, much has been happening just over the channel at FSC France...
T
he FSC France team is split between two offices – Vannes (Brittany), for the technical team - and Paris for communication and direction, and is made up of a total of 5 full time and 2 part time staff, plus 1 or 2 trainees per year. The main project FSC France is working on is the certification of French forests. After five years of work, the national standard is now approved and will be operational in 2017. With this major tool, FSC France will be able to develop a strong communication with public and private foresters at both a national and regional level. In 2015, COP 21 was a major highlight, and FSC France conceded to create a coalition around a manifesto titled “Preserving the value of forests to mitigate the effects of climate change”. 160 stakeholders from NGOs, retailers, industries, forest owners, workers unions, consumer organisations, along with several very famous French personalities and deputies, signed this document. It was
18
important to create an FSC France community around our values and to show our ability to mobilise and take its place in the French decision makers ‘landscape’.
“In 2015, COP21 was a major
highlight, and FSC France conceded to create a coalition around a manifesto.”
FSC France have also implemented tools key for their development: an institutional communication toolkit, a defined service delivery program and a stabilised strategic plan for 2016-2020 in alignment with FSC global plans. Eight objectives were defined, two of which are priorities: • Be better known and recognised by public and private decision makers • Have more FSC certified forests in France and work closely with local stakeholders
These 2 priorities demonstrate their desire to have top-down actions, achieving this by developing their relations with decision makers to ultimately pull the market. In the same time they have a set of bottom-up actions to push the market and provide local FSC certified materials and products to industries. Meanwhile they also worked with their member Carrefour (http://www.carrefour.com/) to develop FSC certified products, have a better visibility from consumers, and spread their action on FSC in other countries.
Examples of FSC certified forests in France:
In 2017 FSC France will have a strong action among foresters to develop FSC certification on the ground. They will also develop a strategy for increasing training and for increasing certification in the building sector. If Paris is elected for organising the 2024 Olympic Games, this would help! And of course they welcome any UK advice and support based on experience with London 2012! If you would you like to know more about FSC France and their projects, you can visit their website fr.fsc.org.
Image credit: Š FSC France
Forestry
Stakeholder Management: How do you do yours? One of the requirements of FSC certification that some forest owners or managers may struggle to fulfil efficiently or cost-effectively is the need to consult with interested and affected stakeholders. In this article, Matt Taylor describes some of the potential pitfalls in consultation, and one possible solution.
I
n the spring of 2011, a West Yorkshire based forester took on the management of a handful of woodlands in the Calder Valley. All of the sites needed a new management plan and the owner wanted them to be FSC certified, so this work included some stakeholder engagement. However, the forester’s experience of public consultations had led him to the conclusion that village hall meetings may not be the best way to comply with the requirements of UKWAS. Discussions with colleagues and clients revealed he was not alone in his misgivings, here’s what they said‌ The cost of consultation and engagement was often disproportionate to the scale of the operation When managing a number of forests over a large area, the cost and time burden of UKWAS compliance relating to stakeholders and communication was high. This reduced the economic viability of woodlands. Some stakeholders were difficult to reach For a range of reasons, some people had been be hard to engage. This had led to complaints and comments being received after plans had been finalised, contracts agreed, and management interventions
20
having commenced. The timing of public meetings meant that some key stakeholders could not attend due to other commitments so the requirement for follow up meetings was common. Public meetings could produce biased data Some meetings were disrupted by those who had issues relating to earlier management. Some were dominated by individuals or groups who had interests relating to specific topics, but not necessarily relating to the forest or its management. Although these views could be valid, they had the potential to be overrepresented, preventing discussion of the full range of activities under consultation. It was also likely that some individuals at meetings took the decision not to express their views, particularly where they would conflict with opinions already expressed. Collecting and using data from public meetings was unsatisfactory Capturing the detail of verbal communication with stakeholders was difficult. Structuring and compiling the results into a usable form was time consuming. The maintenance of up to date contact details in stakeholder lists also presented challenges.
Image credit: © Forest Plans
So how does Forest Plans help? The cost and time burden is reduced
Less biased data
For a small subscription fee, foresters can access and manage a user friendly, personalised web page designed to deliver their stakeholder management. Features such as automatically generated, branded signage save the forester time and money. The time taken to deliver UKWAS compliant consultation through Forest Plans can be measured in minutes, rather than hours or days.
Stakeholders submit their comments and questions from the privacy of their own home or office without time constraints, competition for attention, or peer pressure. Comments aren’t shared publicly, they can only be seen by the forest manager who can communicate the overall findings back to stakeholders if they wish.
More people can be reached The signage generated by Forest Plans directs stakeholders to an easy to find web page which holds documents relating to the consultation. Here they can submit their comments directly to the forest manager. They can do this at any time of day and from anywhere in the world. The signage also directs people to their nearest public internet access or offers a hard copy of consultation documents for those without internet access. The forest manager can also e-mail their contacts with a link to their page’s unique web address.
Auditable evidence was difficult to collect Evidence for use during audits was weak, usually based upon minutes written up at a later date. The forester felt a web-based tool could be built to overcome these issues, allowing him to deliver better stakeholder consultation while reducing his costs and the time taken. After a chat with his friend and web designer, Forest Plans was created. Forest Plans is still being used by Matt Taylor in Yorkshire and is also being used by some of the UK’s largest forest management companies,
Clear data collection Data is recorded in writing exactly as the stakeholder submits it. The stakeholder’s contact details are collected and the time of their comment is documented. Auditable The consultation process is systematic and auditable with an activity log which records the time and date that forests were added to the site and when comments were received.
woodland charities, local authorities, and utility companies. Foresters are being creative with how they use the site, reporting new uses all the time, such as quick on-site access to management plans and communicating health and safety documentation to their contractors. For more information about Forest Plans visit www.forestplans.com or email matt@forestplans. com. Matt Taylor is a forester, FSC Forest Management auditor, and land manager working for Forest and Land Ltd in West Yorkshire, UK. 21
Guest Feature
Printer Receives Sustainability Award North Suffolk, Beccles-based FSC certified printing company Anglia Print (FSC®C125905) is setting an example in its sector and has been presented with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its work in caring for the environment.
A
nglia Print, based in Ellough Road, Beccles, was recognised in the Sustainable Development category, which, in line with tradition, were first announced in April to coincide with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s birthday. The official presentation, including a scroll of appointment and a crystal bowl, was made to Anglia Print director John Popely by the Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk, Clare Euston on the 6th September this year. Anglia Print, which was founded in 1978 by Mr Popely’s father, Fred, is accredited as carbon neutral and sources materials from ethically and environmentally certified sources, with 95% of the paper it uses being FSC certified or recycled. It is also one of only 12 printing companies in the UK to hold EMAS (EcoManagement and Audit Scheme) registration. The award citation says: “The company has made pioneering achievements in its sector and is actively addressing all potential sustainability impacts within its influence.”
The firm is powered by 100% renewable energy, has invested in waterless printing presses, using non-soya vegetable oilbased inks, eliminating the use of hazardous substances and water from its production process. It also operates a zero waste-tolandfill policy. “The company supports individuals, businesses and charities within its local area,” the citation adds. “It helps employees achieve a good work-life balance and provides opportunities for skills and career progression.” Making the presentation, the Lord Lieutenant said: “The Queen’s Award for Enterprise is the UK’s most prestigious award for business and enterprise. Everyone at Anglia Print should be enormously proud of what they have achieved. It has involved a great deal of hard work and dedication, and their support for community projects is also well-known.” Responding, Mr Popely said: “The people I would like to thank are my family, my staff and particularly my mum and dad. Unfortunately, my father died four years ago and I wish he was here to see this because he would be very proud.” Also at the ceremony were Mark Bee, chairman of Waveney District Council, and Graham Catchpole, the Mayor of Beccles. _ This article has been reproduced by permission of the East Anglian Daily Times http://www.eadt.co.uk/home Image credit: © Anglia Print
22
General Assembly
FSC General Assembly 2017 The 8th FSC General Assembly will be held in Vancouver, Canada, from 8–13th October 2017.
T
he General Assembly of members, held every three years, is FSC’s highest decision-making body. It brings together FSC members and stakeholders from around the world, who participate in a unique and democratic forum. With the approval of the FSC Global Strategic Plan 2015 – 2020 last year, the next general assembly will be critical to determine the future direction of the organisation. The general assembly is also a great opportunity for FSC members to help shape the future of forest management together. FSC encourages all its members and stakeholders, from the global North and South, to participate in the general assembly 2017. Programme details will be available soon on the FSC general assembly website. For more information before then, please contact g.garza@fsc.org.
About FSC Membership FSC membership is separate to FSC certification. In order to make or label FSC certified products you would need to hold FSC certification. FSC membership is not mandatory for FSC certified companies or licence holders. Our members contribute directly to upholding a system which ensures that the harvest of forest products is balanced with maintaining the biodiversity, productivity and ecological stability of forests, and that local people get a fair share of the benefits.
Members apply to join one of three chambers: environmental, social or economic, which are further sub-divided into northern and southern sub-chambers. Voting is weighted to ensure that each chamber and sub-chamber gets an equal say. This guarantees that influence is shared equitably between different interest groups and levels of economic power. All FSC members are invited to attend and vote at the FSC General Assembly as well as to formulate and submit motions. It is in this dynamic environment where valuable concerns and constructive criticism are brought into a forum; different stakeholders work together in an equitable way to make important strategic decisions that define the future of FSC. Find our more about FSC membership, including how to apply visit: http://www.fsc-uk.org/en-uk/get-involved/ membership 23
FSC Friday
Talks, Walks, Cakes and Tree Planting: FSC Friday 2016 On September 30th 2016, FSC Friday was celebrated by organisations up and down the UK, with events taking place to support our world’s forests and to raise awareness of responsible forest management. People were encouraged to consider their wood and paper sourcing, look out for the FSC logo and buy FSC certified materials and products.
B
usinesses, schools, scouts and NGOs took part, with positive engagement on social media, those taking part tweeting photos of their events and forest-themed cakes! FSC International coordinated a successful global thunderclap, and national offices in other countries also participated, including FSC Italy and FSC Netherlands who both included an awardsgiving as part of their FSC Friday celebrations.
How did UK organisations celebrate? Soil Association UK ran a bake-off and forest quiz and presented prizes provided by FSC UK to the winners: “The bake-off showcased some fantastic designs and baking skills! They all looked and tasted amazing, making it a very tight competition! The star baker is actually a keen painter so was really pleased to receive the lovely FSC certified art canvas and a cotton bag!” Snow’s timber (see guest feature on page 27) selected 50 of their top builder’s merchant customers to take part in their ‘Buy It Certified’ campaign, equipping them with a bag of promotional materials FSC UK provided. Border Oak Design & Construction Ltd baked speciality cakes for FSC Friday including these cake-pop conifers! (Left) Impress Print Services Ltd ran a #snapandshare photo challenge via their social media (top of opposite page), raising awareness of the FSC label.
24
Image credits: © Border Oak & Construction Ltd; © Be Modern Ltd; © Impress Print Services Ltd; © Downpatrick Nursery School; © FSC UK
Blaengwawr Primary School took part by running a range of fun activities and educational, forest-related projects: “Children made collages using natural materials found in our environmental area, used some of your activity sheets and researched the effect of deforestation on animal habitats. They also created posters on endangered species and wrote tree poems, some researching how deforestation can cause flooding and weather changes. Others researched FSC and FSC products, some even doing PowerPoint presentations. We also displayed posters at our MacMillan Coffee Morning for parents.” Be Modern Ltd were delighted to celebrate FSC Friday with Toft Hill Primary School in Bishop Auckland. The event rounded-off a week of learning about the rainforest and sustainability by year 4 students (below).
Downpatrick Nursery School celebrated outdoors, running a ‘hug a tree’ event (below).
“It has been a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with Be Modern to celebrate FSC Friday. The children had a fantastic day. We are so looking forward to seeing our new mini apple orchard grow” said Jancie Stobbs, Head Teacher of Toft Hill Primary School.
FSC Friday Sign-ups:
25
Thunderclap
FSC UK celebrates!
A global Thunderclap coordinated by FSC International and had a global reach of 732,396 - exceeding last year’s by 223,080!
FSC UK held two events: a stall at our local primary school fête and a forest code-breaker trail in our local FSC certified forest.
Supporters included WWF UK, The Rainforest Alliance, FSC certificate holders and individuals, each of which all used their social media accounts to send a unified message.
A Big Thank You to those who participated
Social Media
FSC UK were delighted to see such enthusiasm for celebrating the world’s forests and promoting FSC. We give our sincere thanks to everyone who took part and worked hard to make it a success.
We were busy re-tweeting on the day, sharing photos of events running up and down the UK.
FSC Friday 2017 will take place on 29th September! Interested in getting involved? FSC Friday is a great opportunity to inform and educate people - including employees, students, groups and the general public, of the value of FSC and the vital role forests play in our lives. It is a chance to spread awareness of the importance of responsible forest management, wood and paper sourcing and encourage people to look for the logo and buy FSC certified products. > Register your interest today by emailing fscfriday@fsc-uk.org Image credit: © FSC UK
26
FSC Friday
A Tale of Three Companies Business-to-business timber distributor Snows Timber (FSC®C016928), a certificate holder for almost 12 years, took the message of certified timber and FSC Friday out to its customers, the builders merchants, and to builders themselves, in the fortnight leading up to FSC Friday 2016.
S
nows’ campaign included counter stands, leaflets, postcards and shelf-wobblers, produced by fellow FSC certificate holders Inprint Litho Limited (FSC®C107409), packed in an ecofriendly carrier bag produced by another FSC certificate holder, The Paper Bag Company Ltd (FSC®C12167). Snows Timber selected 50 of their top builders merchant customers to take part in their ‘Buy It Certified’ campaign, equipping them with the bag of promotional materials augmented with pencils, stickers, bookmarks and ‘We’re taking part’ posters from FSC UK. Snows’ Product Director Mark Bowers said: “We felt it was time to shout about certified timber’s widespread availability in the merchant sector, and FSC Friday gave us the opportunity to do that. We’re hoping to analyse the results and do it again next year if we can.”
Gary Makin, Director at Inprint Litho in Southampton, was also pleased to be part of the Snows Timber campaign and adds: “A combination of demand for FSC chain of custody certification from our customers and our own focus to deliver a positive environmental experience, drove us to become certified five years ago in 2011.” All three companies are trying to make a difference and create interest in FSC certified products in their own sectors. Snows Timber’s ‘Buy It Certified’ timber promotion campaign for FSC Friday 2016 gave them an opportunity to work together for the common good. http://www.snowstimber.com/ Image credit: ©Snows Timber
Jim Garven, Director at The Paper Bag Company in Westbury, Wiltshire, was pleased to take part, relating their business-building experience with FSC: “We achieved FSC certification two years ago as we were seeing more and more demand from customers. We’ve always prided ourselves on being environmentally conscious so it made business sense for us to go for certification. Since then we’ve had lots of feedback from customers saying they like to see the FSC logo on our bags.” 27
Suspensions
FSC Accreditation of Two Certification Bodies Suspended Accreditation Services International (ASI) has suspended certification body Bureau Veritas (on 19th October 2016) from issuing FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) certificates worldwide, and Holzforschung Austria (on 21st October 2016) from issuing FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) and Forest Management (FM) certificates worldwide.
T
hese suspensions are the result of failure to resolve major non-conformities with FSC accreditation standards and will be enforced for a maximum of six months, during which time both must address and close all major nonconformities. In the event that accreditation is not reinstated within this time period and is instead withdrawn, a transition period of 6 months will allow current certificate holders to seek another FSC accredited certification body and have their existing certificates transferred. The suspensions restrict the ability of both certification bodies to issue new FSC certificates or perform initial certification services globally. However, existing certificates issued by them will remain valid and they can continue to conduct surveillance and re-certification audits for their clients during the period of suspension. This action reinforces expectations that standards are continuously audited with the consistency that is expected by FSC and that accreditation body ASI oversees all certification bodies rigorously.
28
Bureau Veritas has issued 3,800 CoC certificates and 100 Forest Management FSC certificates in 63 countries worldwide. Holzforschung Austria currently has 135 CoC FSC certificates. For any questions or comments please contact ASI at info@accreditation-services.com
Forum
Wanted: Consultative Forum Members For Project Certification Standard All FSC stakeholders are invited to register their interest in taking part in a consultation about technical issues relating to the revision of the project certification standard (FSC-STD-40-006). What are this standard’s objectives?
Register today
Project certification is a specific form of Chain of Custody (CoC) certification for the production of a unique item (e.g. a building or a boat) that uses FSC certified forestbased materials, or FSC certified products. It recognises that, in some cases, not all parties involved in a specific project are certified, even if the forest-based materials used for the project are covered by FSC CoC certification.
To take part in the consultative forum, please complete the registration form (http:// bit.ly/2f90zab) and send it to the project coordinator Dorothee Jung at d.jung@fsc.org.
In addition to the project certification standard, an FSC system-wide concept will be developed to explain how FSC certificate holders and trademark license holders can make claims on the input volumes of FSC certified material that they source; these are known as ‘procurement claims’.
For more information you can view the current processes page on the FSC International website: http://bit.ly/2fSRJ19 You can download the registration for here: http://bit.ly/2f90zab
What are the selection criteria for the consultative forum? All FSC stakeholders who would like to contribute to the revision of this standard and/ or the development of a procurement claims model are welcome to join the consultative forum. Image credit: © Holllybrook Homes
29
WHILE YOU TAKE CARE OF CHRISTMAS, WE’LL HELP YOU TAKE CARE OF OUR FORESTS. Our forests give us many gifts like books, cards, furniture and toys. FSC® helps take care of forests and the people and wildlife who call them home. Give our forests a gift this Christmas. Choose FSC. www.fsc.org
FSC® F000100
30
FSC® F000231
Survey
Controlled Wood Strategy Survey The FSC Controlled Wood Strategy covers a wide range of topics concerning controlled wood, from fundamental questions about the purpose of controlled wood, to specifics about what elements of the current requirements should be re-examined. In the lead-up to the 2017 General Assembly, we encourage all those with a stake in the future of FSC Controlled Wood, controlled material, the FSC Mix label, and FSC in general to participate in the survey and provide their valuable input. In addition to multiple choice and yes/no questions, survey participants will be given the opportunity to explain their choices in open-ended responses.
and would like to participate in the survey you can follow this link to take part: http://bit.ly/2ezLdaB. The survey is scheduled to be closed on 1st December 2016.
Personalised invitation e-mails have been sent to certificate holders related to controlled wood, as well as stakeholders on various FSC mailing lists. If you haven’t received this email Image credit: Š T.Duda / FSC CZ
31
Just for Fun
Guess the product! Can you work out what FSC certified product is shown in the photo? Tweet your suggestions to @FSCUK using the hashtag #GuessFSC.
Keep up-to-date with us on Social Media! Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook
Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) UK is a charity dedicated to promoting responsible forestry. For more information about FSC UK: www.fsc-uk.org info@fsc-uk.org The Billiard Room, Town Hall, Great Oak Street Llanidloes Powys, SY18 6BN 01686 413916
Guess the product image: © FSC UK.
Charity number: 1130203 FSC® F000231
Front Cover Image: © A.Leadbetter / FSC UK
FSC in numbers 2,379 Chain of Custody certificates in the UK 1,631,917 hectares of FSC certified forest in the UK 31,273 Chain of Custody certificates worldwide 191.773 million hectares of FSC certified forest worldwide Latest figures from FSC IC. Correct as of 7th October 2016. The full list of figures can be viewed at https://ic.fsc.org/en/facts-figures
32