Comox, BC: K’ómoks First Nation, in partnership with Qualicum First Nation, welcomed TimberWest, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB), and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) to the K’ómoks First Nation Band Office to announce that they will pilot the SFI Small-Scale Forest Management Module for Indigenous Peoples, Families, and Communities. This is to be implemented on Rosewall Forest Tenure Holdings Ltd, the jointly managed working forest of K’ómoks First Nation and Qualicum First Nation.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) opened its annual request for proposals (RFP) for the SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program today. Applications for the program will be accepted from eligible entities through October 9. Requirements for this year's program are available on the SFI website.

Building a strong middle class means giving Canada's youth the tools they need to find and keep good jobs, including in the green jobs sector, with employers that help reduce the consumption of energy and raw materials, limit greenhouse gas emissions, minimize waste and pollution and protect and restore ecosystems. Today at the Thunder Bay Centennial Botanical Conservatory, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, highlighted funding of over $26 million through the Green Jobs in Green Spaces program, helping create 3,725 green student job opportunities across Canada.

Forest fashions take centre stage at the United Nations Headquarters in New York for the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, starting today. As part of our Forests for Fashion initiative with UNECE/FAO, and a range of other partners such as the UN Forum on Forests, Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T, PEFC Italy, PEFC Spain and SFI, we are highlighting the role of forests and forest products towards a sustainable fashion sector, throughout the HLPF.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) is pleased to announce the election of four new members to its Board of Directors: Mike Parr, President, American Bird Conservancy;; Jim Irving, Co-CEO, JD Irving Limited;; Lennard Joe, President, Nicola Tribal Association;; and Jaime Yraguen, President, Associated Oregon Loggers. These new members embody SFI’s three pillars: supply chain assurance, conservation elevation, and education and community engagement.

Project Learning Tree (PLT) Canada and the Canadian Parks Council (CPC) announced a partnership to place 600 youth in summer jobs in Canada’s provincial and territorial parks in the summers of 2018 and 2019. PLT Canada has received approximately $4 million through the Government of Canada’s Summer Work Experience program to offer a 50% wage-match to support summer green job placements for youth.

Project Learning Tree (PLT) Canada will be placing 1000 youth in green jobs using the Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s (SFI) diverse network of program participants, conservation leaders, Indigenous partners, and community groups. PLT Canada has received approximately $7 million in federal funding from the Government of Canada’s Summer Work Experience Program to get youth working in the great outdoors through the summers of 2018 and 2019.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) announced five conservation grants today that will advance our shared understanding of the conservation benefits associated with well-managed forests across the United States and Canada. These grants feature collaboration between SFI and a diverse range of partners and experts from 45 organizations to advance SFI’s ground breaking Conservation Impact Project. 

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) announced 18 community grants today that will advance the quality of life in communities across the United States and Canada. SFI is bringing together a diverse range of people from 102 organizations to support community engagement projects. SFI engages local communities through a variety of initiatives including youth outreach, forest education programs, supporting tribal and Indigenous values, and green building projects for low-income families.

A commitment to use responsibly sourced wood products has earned Whistler-based Innovation Building Group an award from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). The SFI Certified Wood Award is part of the Wood Design & Building Awards program. Innovation Building Group received the award, for its multi-residential project Solana in Whistler, BC, at the Wood WORKS! BC 2018 Wood Design Awards Gala in Vancouver on February 26.

UL Environment, a division of UL (Underwriters Laboratories) today announced that products certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Standards will be featured on UL SPOT™, a web-based sustainability information tool that promotes responsible procurement of products. This new agreement between UL Environment and SFI will provide SPOT users access to SFI building materials, paper and packaging products that have been 3rd party certified to the SFI Fiber Sourcing and SFI Chain of Custody Standards.

We congratulate Metsä Board on becoming the first European paperboard producer to utilize this new option for SFI on-product labelling,” said Kathy Abusow, President & CEO of SFI Inc. “As a sustainability organization dedicated to the future of our forests, SFI focuses its efforts on supply chain assurances, conservation elevation and education and community engagement. We are proud that SFI’s on-product labels make it clear that a product has been responsibly sourced or comes from a certified forest.”

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) recently announced that 653,428 acres of state land have been certified to one of the world’s most recognized, independent, third-ˇparty forest management certification standards, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) 2015-2021 Forest Management Standard. “Certification to SFI considers all aspects of our forest management process – from our actions taken in the woods to the paperwork we keep in our files,” said MDC State Forester Lisa Allen.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) is pleased to announce that Poison Springs State Forest, the Arkansas state forest managed by the Agriculture Department's Forestry Commission, has earned certification to the SFI 2015-2021 Forest Management Standard through a rigorous third-party audit. Certifying to SFI sends a strong signal about Arkansas’s commitment to sustainable forest management, conservation, and economic opportunity for its citizens.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) is pleased to announce the election of Michael P. Doss to the SFI Board of Directors. Doss is President and CEO of Graphic Packaging Holding Company. His election strengthens SFI’s position as a sustainability leader focused on future forests. “Mike is a great fit for SFI because he brings a wealth of leadership experience on sustainability and community building. His approach shows that financial results and corporate responsibility are not mutually exclusive. Mike’s message that we have to reach far beyond day-to-day business operations and really have a positive impact on our shared quality of life resonates with the entire SFI community,” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc.