19/04/2005 – China's decision
to certify two state-owned forests marks a
significant step towards responsible forest
management, says WWF.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification
of forests in China's Heilongjiang and Jilin
Provinces – totaling an area of 420,000ha
– were supported by WWF China, IKEA and the
German Investment and Development Company
(DEG).
China’s State Forestry Administration, the
Chinese Academy of Forestry, the General Bureau
of Forest Industry of Heilongjiang Province,
Heilongjiang Academy of Forestry, and Jilin
Forestry Department also assisted in the process.
"When WWF first introduced the concept
of FSC certification to China in 2000, China
had no certified forests," said Dr Zhu
Chunquan, WWF China's Forest Programme Director.
"By working with government agencies,
the forestry industry, NGOs and the media,
Chinese businesses are now becoming increasingly
aware of the importance of responsible forest
management."
SGS, the independent third-party certifier,
confirmed that the Youhao and Baihe Forestry
Bureaus – two bureaus responsible for managing
the newly-certified forest areas –are adhering
to certification principles and standards,
which include assuring the rights of forestry
workers and local communities, controlling
amounts and methods of forest harvesting,
and protecting the forest ecosystems.
In addition to timber, forest products harvested
from these areas include mushrooms, edible
plants, fruits, herbs, honey and frogs. The
Youhao Forestry Bureau is a furniture supplier
of IKEA, while the Baihe Forestry Bureau is
exporting a large volume of wooden flooring
and doors to Japan, the US and Europe.
Prior to this, there were only two certified
forests in southeast China – the Jia Yao Forestry
Development Company in Guangdong province
(5,237ha) and the Changhua Forest Farm (CFF)
in Zhejiang province (940ha), both privately-owned.
Compared with the rapid development of companies
in China that have achieved FSC Chain of Custody
(CoC) certification, the number of certified
forests is still very limited. Over 90 companies
now have CoC certification, meaning that they
obtain certified wood to make their products.
In the last twenty years, forest problems
worldwide have been on the increase. Forest
cover and quality have both declined, with
stakeholders in conflict over the increasingly
scarce goods and services that forests provide.
In China, forests cover only 18.22 per cent
of the land, compared to an international
average of 34 per cent.
It is generally acknowledged that the basic
causes of the problems faced by forests are
due to policy, market and institutional failures.
Certification has been identified as a key
market based initiative to improve forest
management worldwide.
"These two newly certified state-owned
forests are models for responsible forestry,
and are a very encouraging sign for the survival
of China's forests," Zhu said.
Notes:
• Forest certification is widely seen as
the most important initiative of the last
decade to promote better forest management.
Forest certification is a system of forest
inspection plus a means of tracking timber
and paper through a "chain of custody"
– following the raw material through to the
finished product. This is all to ensure that
the products have come from forests which
are well managed and take into account environmental,social
and economic principles and criteria.
• The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is
an independent, not for profit, non-government
organization based in Bonn, Germany, that
provides standard setting, trademark assurance,
and accreditation services for companies and
organizations interested in responsible forestry.
Founded in 1993, FSC’s mission is to promote
environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial,
and economically viable management of the
world’s forests.
