More on Forest Certification

Although I was frustrated to see the recent Letter to the Editor continuing to raise the rhetoric of the forest “certification wars” (Vol. 12, No. 6), I was not surprised. I was, however, truly disappointed in the apologetic tone of your editors’ response proclaiming your intention to maintain an FSC-exclusive approach to forest certification.

The Sustainable Forestry Board (an independent multi-stakeholder NGO responsible for the content of the SFI standard) is proud of the many independent side-by-side analyses that have shown that the SFI program is equal to any standard in achieving sustainable forest management on the ground.

If we, as a community of people who care about the sustainability of our forests, do not work together to support our common vision for better forest practices on the land, we will miss a great opportunity to engage landowners and the public at large in the commitment necessary to achieve our respective goals.

Letters berating one certification system over another simply serve to deepen the divisions among those who truly care about sustainable forestry, and in the end will only reduce the credibility of the entire certification movement.

I hope, in the future, your publication will promote the overall good of forest certification rather than drive a wedge through the forestry community by promoting one program over all others.

William H. Banzhaf, President

Sustainable Forestry Board

Arlington, Virginia