Earlier this month, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced that all of Ohio’s 21 State Forests have achieved SFI certification. Ohio Governor Ted Strickland issued an executive directive to the Division of Forestry to seek certification of the forests. The Division of Forestry demonstrated to independent, third-party auditors that its forest management met standards related to the protection of biodiversity and water quality, public involvement and transparency, and sustainable timber harvesting- passing our rigorous standards. To ensure its continued commitment to sustainable forest management, they will undergo annual audits as well.
We applaud the state of Ohio for taking initiative to ensure that its 200,000 acres of state forest land are well managed today for future generations. Ohio is an addition to over 180 million acres of SFI-certified land in North America. SFI is widely used on public lands throughout North America. In fact, of the 181+ million acres of forests certified to the SFI Standard, 74% are on public (state, provincial, or county) lands.
The press release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources also noted that “the Division of Forestry has also undergone an audit for FSC ® program standards, and anticipates certification under this program within weeks.”
