Green Horizons

Clearwater Forest Consultants (CFC) of Piedmont, Mo., has become the first consulting forest management company in the state to receive the prestigious "SmartWood" certification, accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). SmartWood is the world’s oldest and leading non-profit accredited FSC certifying body. Three Piedmont-area forest landowners are presently participating in the program.

"Clearwater Forest Consultants should be commended for the significant amount of work they went through to meet the Principles and Criteria of the FSC" said Loy Jones, senior forester, SmartWood U.S. region. "By completing this process, they have made FSC certification attainable for individual landowners in Missouri, allowing them to have their lands managed under the most rigorous forest management standards in the world today and that are independently verified by a third party."

There are two forest certification systems operating in the US. One is the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), a certification system developed by the American Forest and Paper Association. The second is FSC. Both systems value responsible management in the forest and local community, and the production of quality timber from generation to generation. To receive the FSC certification, Clearwater Forest Consultants underwent a rigorous assessment by trained SmartWood auditors that found their management met the FSC 10 Principles and 52 Criteria.

One element of these criteria require forest management programs to continue to produce quality timber from generation to generation, without the nearly century-long gap that often results from clear cutting and similar practices. Equally as important is sustaining the range of ecological values on the property and ensuring that any social or community concerns as a result of management, if they occur, are considered during management. "Prior to the implementation of this program, the harvesting of timber in this area has remained unchanged for the last century," Enyart said. "There is hardly an acre of forest in this area that would not benefit from timber thinning and forest management. I hope this is the beginning of a new direction, not only for CFC, but for the forests of Missouri." More than 70% of the forestland in Wayne County is privately owned, Enyart added.

Certified wood and paper products are now carried by several major national retail chains. The global market for FSC-certified wood is now estimated to exceed $5 billion annually.

Additional information about Clearwater Forest Consultants and the certification award is available by contacting Doug Enyart at (573) 223-7010 or by email at cfc@semo.net; or visit www.clearwaterforestconsultants.com. For more information about the SmartWood program and FSC, visit www.smartwood.org; or contact Emily Jaklitsch by email at ejaklitsch@smartwood.org.

Note: Currently, Missouri does not require landowners to have third party certification associated with a sale of wood from their forest lands. However, certification may be appealing to many landowners as a marketing tool that may increase the value of harvested wood. For additional reference on the guidelines and requirements associated with certifying your forests and their sustainable management, please visit the following web sites:
www.treefarmsystem.org
www.aboutsfi.org/core.asp
www.rainforest-alliance.org/programs/forestry/smartwood
www.fscus.org
www.csa-international.org/testing_certification_us
www.merid.org/comparison
www.maineenvironment.org/nwoods/FSC_SFI_comparison.htm