Prevent Illegal Logging
The SFI program certifies lands in North America, and does not try to duplicate comprehensive forestry laws and processes that are mandatory in the United States and Canada. Instead, it focuses on ways to improve forestry practices at home through activities that complement and build on the existing legal framework, and requires that program participants buying fiber from offshore avoid controversial sources of supply. Controversial sources include illegal logging and fiber sourced from areas without effective social laws.
Illegal logging is a critical issue in developing countries where it can lead to the loss of wildlife habitat and public revenues. When forests are logged illegally, this undermines good forest governance and reduces their potential to contribute to sustainable livelihoods in developing countries and countries in transition.
Private and public procurement policies are increasingly requiring proof that forest products are derived from known and legal sources. These include actions such as the amended Lacey Act in the United States, which prohibits trade in illegal plants or plant products including trees from natural or planted forests, and actions by the European Union to reduce the risk of illegally harvested timber and timber products entering the European market. These policies often accept products from certified sources as evidence of both legality and responsible forest practices.
The SFI program supports activities by international experts working together to find ways to address the problem of illegal logging. This includes Forest Trends, an international non-profit organization that works to expand the value of forests to society by promoting markets for ecosystem services, sustainable forest management and conservation. In 2009, SFI Inc. held a webinar on markets for ecosystem services featuring Forest Trends, and both organizations were involved in a discussion at the XIII World Forestry Congress about responsible fiber sourcing in the global supply chain and the role of certification. The World Forestry Congress roundtable also brought together representatives from the Environmental Investigation Agency, The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes, and Forest Stewardship Council International. Additionally, SFI Inc. was a sponsor of Forest Trends’ Potomac Forums on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade in 2008 and 2009.