Branching Out - Summer 1998

What is Green Forest Certification?

Some forest products carry the label "Green". This means they meet certain standards. But, what are those standards and does "Green" appeal to consumers and benefit you, the producer?

Forest certification is an independent audit of forest practices. It gives consumers information on the impact of managing and harvesting forest products on the environment and assures the "chain of custody" of the forest products from the forest to the store shelf. In theory, some consumers will prefer products that are sustainably harvested and managed and will pay a premium for certified products.

Three organizations have taken steps toward developing forest certification programs: the Forest Stewardship Council, the National Forestry Association, and the American Forest and Paper Association. Each of these programs has unique concerns and limitations, but all must answer to the free market.

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

The FSC is an international, independent, nonprofit, non-government organization with strong environmental ties. Through its program of Green Certification, it aims to set a worldwide, common set of principles for certifying well-managed forests. FSC has accredited several organizations to certify the management activities of landowners and foresters.

Two of these groups are SmartWood and Scientific Certification Systems. Together they have given green certification to 1.6 million acres of forestland in the U.S. FSC=s standards work best in regions with tree species that do not rely on intensive management for regeneration, such as planting or clearcutting. The standards are not tied into existing forest management programs such as Forest Stewardship and Tree Farm.

The National Forestry Association (NFA)

A second program for certification, Green Tag ForestrySM, is now being offered the NFA, an affiliate of the National Woodlands Owners Association (NWOA), a national organization of nonindustrial private woodland owners affiliated with state and county woodland owner associations. Green Tag ForestrySM also relies on third party certification, but is designed specifically for private forest landowners. To display the Green Tag sign, forest owners must have implemented a detailed forest management plan prepared by a registered consulting forester who has training in certification procedures. The plan can build on a Tree Farm or Forest Stewardship plan but will have more detail, especially in timber harvesting procedures and recognition of natural diversity components. The NFA intitiative ties into the existing network of consulting foresters nationwide affiliated with the NWOA.

The American Forest & Paper Assn. (AF&PA)

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative, or SFI, is the mechanism AF&PA is using to inform the public that its members are managing forests and producing forest products in a sustainable manner. AF&PA members constitute 90 percent of the industrial forestland in America. While not called a certification program, SFI appears to be heading in that direction. There presently is no third party verification to support SFI=s forest management claims. Also, wood from nonindustrial private forests (NIPF), creates a special problem because it constitutes 60 percent of the wood used by forest industries. There is nothing in the SFI principles to encourage landowners to use a professional forester when managing their resources. Currently, 80 percent of the timber harvested by your fellow NIPF owners is conducted without the advice of a professional forester. Therefore, AF&PA is, in essence, relying on loggers to manage most of America=s non-industrial private forestland.

Concerns with Certification

Significant questions are raised about the scientific underpinnings of the principles used by the FSC. Under FSC principles, 1) no wood resulting from the harvest of old-growth forests that then are planted, and no wood from forest lands that are converted to non-forest uses can be labeled "green"; 2) no wood from well developed secondary forests that are planted can be labeled "green"; and 3) wood from plantations can be labeled only if the forest owner recreates and manages for natural forest conditions on 5-10 percent of the property.

FSC principles tend to be biased against regenerating commercially viable shade-intolerant species such as oak, ash, and pine, that rely on even-aged management practices. Many eastern forests are in poor conditions from past cutting practices. If only uneven-aged management is allowed, diameter-limit cutting or selective cutting practices will be encouraged, which can result in removing just the best trees and further degrading the forest. The push by FSC to prohibit stands regenerated by planting and other intensive practices can limit seriously the options for the small landowners that make up the majority of Mid-Atlantic forestlands.

Opportunity to Comment

Currently, FSC is seeking to develop regional standards based on its eleven principles and criteria for forest management. The draft standards for the Appalachia regional (which includes Maryland) are now available for public comment, even beyond the official July 1 deadline. The 25-pages of draft standards fail to provide any connection with existing landowner assistance programs.

Landowners and forestry professionals are encouraged to review this document on the Internet at www.maced.org/fsc/fsc.html. Click on the icon for Adraft standards@ to find the 11 principles and their contents. Send your comments ASAP to Mike Jenkins, Mountain Association for Community Economic Development, 433 Chestnut Street, Berea, Kentucky 40403; fax: 606- 986-1299; e-mail: mjenkins@maced.org.

Final Thoughts

For any certification program to be adopted, there must be an economic incentive to change. Unless the free market provides a premium for certified wood, most landowners will find little incentive to obtain certification. European consumers and markets are familiar with wood certification. Studies have shown most American consumers are not willing to pay a premium for "green" products. A least one national chain is experimenting with selling certified wood products, but is encountering an inadequate supply. Proposed certification programs that count on buyers to purchase certified wood and thereby justify their standards may have the Acart before the horse.

If private landowners are interested in green certification, programs such as Green Tag ForestrySM, which fit in with existing assistance programs and require the involvement of professional foresters, appear most credible.

(Portions adapted from AWill Green Standards Determine the Future of Forestry?@ by Loren R. Larson, Executive Director, Association of Consulting Foresters of America.)

Seminars for Landowners

Forest landowners in western Maryland and the mid-Atlantic region can learn more about forest and wildlife stewardship at two upcoming seminars.

Western Maryland Landowner Workshop

Absentee and resident forest landowners in Western Maryland can find answers to forest stewardship questions at a full-day workshop in Garrett County, Saturday, August 22.

Morning classroom sessions at the Western Maryland 4-H Center, Swanton, will focus on land taxes, landowner liability, income from alternative opportunities, management for wildlife, Christmas tree production, and timber sales. At the afternoon session at a nearby private forest property, participants will learn how to work with a private forest consultant and experience stewardship practices such as forest and pine thinning, regeneration harvesting, forest buffers, and estimating future value of trees.

Registration is $10/person or $16/couple and includes lunch and reference materials. Make check payable to Garrett County EAC and mail to Forest Landowner Workshop, Garrett County Cooperative Extension, 1916 Maryland Highway, Suite A, Mt. Lake Park, MD 21550, by August 14. For more information call 301-334-6960 or Branching Out.

Mid-Atlantic Forest Stewardship Seminar

The award-winning annual Mid-Atlantic Forest Stewardship Seminar, Saturday, November 7, presents speakers on a wide variety of forest and wildlife management topics.

Included in one-hour sessions are forestry tax facts and strategies, woodland weed control, selling timber, forest reptiles and amphibians, forest and upland songbirds, ruffed grouse and wild turkey, wildlife management, alternative income opportunities, and women and the outdoors. The keynote speech will be on Stream Releaf.

The seminar is at Frederick Community College. Registration of $19 includes a full lunch. For information, contact Terry Poole, Frederick County Cooperative Extension, 301-694-1594; tp8@umail.umd.edu.

Now is the time...

The coming months are a good time to check your forestland roads and trails to be certain they are ready for fall and winter rains and snow. How is the drainage? Does water soak in or drain off? Are there wet pockets? Is the road/trail surface stable? If not, you might consider planting a ground cover that also would benefit wildlife, such as lespedeza or a pasture mix other than Kentucky 31.

Forest Health Update

Sycamore trees have shown symptoms of sycamore anthracnose fungus--young leaves turning brown and dying--because of the cool, moist spring. Although the trees look as if they are dying, most will survive a one-time setback, according to the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

Dear Branching Out,

I do not know if you ever tried to harvest trees. I did in the late 80=s and it was not a problem. I tried it again last year and found many restrictions. These trees have been in the family for fifty years, but after my experiences, I=m wondering who owns them?

The state of Maryland has numerous programs that encourage forest stewardship. Under these programs, many of us have planted trees, nursed them along, and protected them from deer damage . . . under the presumption that we were engaged in an agricultural activity, much like a farmer planting corn or a homemaker planting a garden. However, one discovers that, unlike harvesting other agricultural crops, harvesting trees has many restrictions.

One must get a special permit; attest that he will not destroy the forest and will maintain it for five years; show that roads, skid trails, and slopes do not exceed a certain grade; verify that a wetland or stream buffer will not be affected (never mind that the neighbor=s cows walk across the stream every day, contributing pollution in excess of what a logger ever could); submit the harvest application for review by several governing bodies; and hold a preconstruction meeting on the site with the logger and a county official.

Who owns my trees? P.C.L., Frederick County

Dear P.C.L.,

You are right: harvesting trees is not as simple as it was and it takes more time and planning. Roads must be constructed to protect water quality, and stream buffers and wetlands require best management practices. While targeted to protect trees on development sites, the Forest Conservation Act has added another step for forest stewards who harvest timber, since the landowner must sign a legal document agreeing to maintian the forest for five years. The number and variety of agencies and regulations involved in this process are good reasons why most forest owners should use a consultant forester to assure the timber harvest is done properly. Thank you for writing. We are checking into the problems you described and plan to devote the next Branching Out to the many aspects of harvesting timber.

RESOURCES for Forest Landowners

New! Legal Aspects of Owning and Managing Woodlands, by Thom McEvoy, extension forester and associate professor, University of Vermont; 174 pages, $20 paperback, $45 hardcover, plus shipping; Island Press, 800-828-1302; ipwest@igc.apc.org; www.islandpress.org.

New! The Land of the Living, by John Mash, retired MD-DNR forester. Did you know that most of the 40,000 acres comprising Green Ridge State Forest in Allegany County was cleared and planted as the Alargest apple orchard in the universe?@ This well-researched book on the history of Green Ridge Forest and eastern Allegany County, Maryland focuses on the human and natural history. It covers the land itself, its wild creatures, the history of the forest, and the interesting human history. Great reading! Available in some libraries or purchased for $52.45 plus $3 shipping from the Living History Foundation of Allegany County, 218 Washington St., Cumberland, MD 21502, 301-777-8678.

Many web pages on the Internet have information for forest landowners. Search for Aforest stewardship and select from the thousands of topics, including the Forest Stewardship Programs in Maryland and Connecticut.

Branching Out - Vol. 6, No. 3, Summer 1998