ST. LOUIS—Under its Responsible Procurement Program (RPP), the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) has formed the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Procurement Group to help private landowners gain FSC certification.
With around 270 million acres of forest under private ownership, only 2.5 million acres are certified to FSC standards, said Ed Korczak, CEO and executive director of NWFA. The Procurement Group will make FSC certification more attainable, thus bringing more FSC-certified products to market.
“This [also] helps to ensure that forests are responsibly managed so raw materials will be available for generations to come.”
The voluntary RPP is based on three tiers of involvement that aim toward certification. The first tier is entry-level, the second is transitional and the third embodies the highest level of environmental responsibility (FCNews, Aug. 17/24).
An RPP advisory council comprised of members from NWFA, FSC-US, the Rainforest Alliance, the Tropical Forest Trust and Scientific Certification Systems is tasked with expanding the program. In addition to other wood products, Korczak noted the FSC Procurement Group is aimed to reach other sectors of the lumber industry including furniture, cabinetry, paper and construction.
For more information about the FSC Procurement Group, call 800.422.4556.