SFI^® STANDARD

Sustainable Forestry Initiative^® (SFI) program participants believe forest landowners have an important stewardship responsibility and a commitment to society. They recognize the importance of maintaining viable commercial, family forest and conservation forest land bases.

Participants support sustainable forestry practices on forestland they manage and promote it on other lands. They support efforts to protect private property rights and help all private landowners manage their forestland sustainably. Stimson participates in the SFI program and follows the current SFI Forestry Management Standard and Fiber Sourcing Standard principles.

SFI Principles

The following SFI principles apply to the current SFI Forest Management Standard and the current SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard. These SFI principles are supported by additional mandatory requirements including more specific objectives, performance measures and indicators. Learn more on the SFI website.

Sustainable Forestry. To practice sustainable forestry means meeting the needs of the present while promoting the ability of future generations to meet their own needs by practicing a land stewardship ethic that integrates reforestation and the managing, growing, nurturing and harvesting of trees for useful products, and for the provision of ecosystem services such as the conservation of soil, air and water quality and quantity, climate change adaptation and mitigation, biological diversity, wildlife and aquatic habitats, recreation and aesthetics.

Forest Productivity and Health. To provide for regeneration after harvest and maintain the health and productive capacity of the forest land base, and to protect and maintain long-term soil health and productivity. In addition, to protect forests from economically, environmentally or socially undesirable impacts of wildfire, pests, diseases, invasive species, and other damaging agents and thus maintain and improve long-term forest health and productivity.

Protection of Water Resources. To protect and maintain the water quality and quantity of water bodies and riparian areas, and to conform with forestry best management practices to protect water quality, to meet the needs of both human communities and ecological systems.

Protection of Biological Diversity.To manage forests in ways that protect and promote biological diversity, including animal and plant species, wildlife habitats, ecologically and culturally important species, threatened and endangered species (i.e., Forest with Exceptional Conservation Values) and native forest cover types at multiple scales.

Aesthetics and Recreation. To manage the visual impacts of forest operations and to provide recreational opportunities for the public.

Protection of Special Sites. To manage lands that are ecologically, geologically or culturally important in a manner that takes into account their unique qualities.

Responsible Fiber Sourcing Practices in North America. To use and promote among other forest landowners sustainable forestry practices that are both scientifically credible and economically, environmentally and socially responsible.

Legal Compliance. To comply with applicable federal, provincial, state and local forestry and related environmental laws, statutes, and regulations.

Research. To support advances in sustainable forest management through forestry research, science and technology.

Training and Education. To improve the practice of sustainable forestry through training and education programs.

Community Involvement, Social Responsibility and Respect for Indigenous Rights. To broaden the practice of sustainable forestry on all lands through community involvement, socially responsible practices and through recognition and respect of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and traditional forest-related knowledge.

Transparency. To broaden the understanding of forest certification to the Forest Management Standard by documenting certification audits and making the findings publicly available.

Continual Improvement. To continually improve the practice of forest management and to monitor, measure and report performance in achieving the commitment to sustainable forestry.

Responsible Fiber Sourcing. To use and promote sustainable forestry across a diversity of ownership and management types in the United States and Canada that is both scientifically credible and socially, environmentally and economically responsible and to avoid sourcing from controversial sources both domestically and internationally.