PEFC /16-01-01

PEFCUK NEWS
WWW.PEFC.CO.UK ISSUE 29 APRIL 2013

A new industry action plan is set to secure a sustainable future for UK woodlands and forests.
Dr Peter Bonfield has been invited by the Secretary of State for DEFRA to chair the development of a new industry action plan called - Grown in Britain - which aims to secure a sustainable future for the UKs woodlands and forests. The development and implementation of the Grown in Britain programme will be supported by a panel comprising Chief Executives from retailers, contractors, developers and corporations who are in a position to influence the way timber is procured and presented to consumers. The programmes three core aims are to: l create a new and stronger market pull for the array of products derived from our woodlands and forests l develop private sector funding that supports the planting and management of woodland and forests through funding from corporates as part of their corporate social responsibility l connect and harness the positive energy and feelings towards our woodlands and forests that many in our society share to create a strong wood culture. A wood culture that captures personal health and fitness, well-being, community and encourages the use of more wood and forest products.

GROWN IN BRITAIN

Since 2010 over one million hectares of UK forests have been dual FSC-PEFC certified. The certified area includes all the Forestry Commission forests in England, Scotland and Wales and some 500 privately owned forest estates, including a number in Northern Ireland, managed through the Scottish Woodlands and UPM Tilhill forest

group certification schemes. As the worlds largest forest certification organisation, PEFC recognises the importance of ensuring a sustainable future for our forests and woodlands and is therefore proud to support this important new initiative.

www.growninbritain.org

There are more than 6 million hectares of cork oak forests in the Mediterranean region stretching across Portugal, Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Tunisia and France. These forests are hugely important in terms of forest biodiversity.
They are home to rare plants and provide habitats for endangered species such as the Iberian Lynx. These forests also help to prevent desertification in this region and serve as carbon sinks. In addition, the cork oak industry plays an important role in rural development in the region. The livelihoods of farmers, many of

CERTIFIED CORK STOPPERS

whose families have harvested cork from the local forests for generations, depend on this natural, well-managed, resource. To date, 75,000 hectares of cork oak forest in Spain have been certified to PEFCs rigorous sustainable As now a forest result, management and wine standard. bottle are certified cork stoppers for champagne available. Visit www.pefc.co.uk/news to watch a short video on the cork harvesting process.

CHAIN OF CUSTODY & EUTR

PEFC Chain of Custody certification provides an efficient mechanism for companies to demonstrate compliance with EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) requirements. The 2013 PEFC Chain of Custody standard, which will be fully aligned with EUTR requirements, will be published in May 2013.
In the meantime, an update sheet Meet EUTR Requirements through PEFC Chain of Custody Certification is available on the PEFC UK website. This publication outlines how companies certified to the 2010 PEFC Chain of Custody standard can already meet EUTR requirements through small but smart changes. The EUTR prohibits the placing of illegally harvested timber on the European market in an effort to tackle the problem of illegal logging across the world. It sets out requirements that companies within the European Union (EU) must meet to minimise the risk of illegal timber being traded. More specifically, the Regulation requires companies placing timber or timber products on the European market (both imported and domestic) to implement a Due Diligence System (DDS). The Regulation also affects companies outside the EU as their products may be imported into the EU further down the supply chain. PEFC-certified companies have always been required to exclude so-called controversial sources from certified material and are therefore well-placed to comply with the additional requirements imposed by the EUTR. For PEFC-certified companies, compliance with EUTR is straightforward: the 2013 PEFC Chain of Custody standard with its integral PEFC Due Diligence System (PEFC DDS) will be fully aligned with the Regulation. As all PEFC-certified companies are required to implement the 2013 Standard after its approval in May 2013, PEFC Chain of Custody certification represents an efficient tool to demonstrate

compliance with EUTR requirements along the entire supply chain. Companies that do not wish to wait for the 2013 Standard to come into force can adapt their current PEFC DDS to meet EUTR, by following the steps outlined in the document. PEFC Chain of Custody certification is also a viable option for currently uncertified companies, independent of whether they are already subject to the Regulation or wishing to prepare for future business opportunities with EU-based customers.

ECOBUILD 2013 - CERTIFIED TIMBER FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Last month, PEFC UK partnered with fellow members of PEFCs global network, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) to exhibit at Ecobuild 2013.
Participating in the worlds biggest event for sustainable design, construction and the built environment enabled us to promote and educate visitors on a wide range of issues surrounding the supply of legal and sustainable timber into the UK market. This year PEFC were promoting two specific schemes Project & Group Certification. Project Chain of Custody Certification is a specific form of Chain of Custody certification for one-off short term projects involving different, smaller, uncertified contractors. The London Olympic Park was Project-Certified to great acclaim in 2012. Group Chain of Custody Certification is a simple and cost effective way to achieve PEFC-certified status by joining or forming a Group Chain of Custody Scheme, such as the successful one run by the British Woodworking Federation (BWF), and is designed for companies with 50 employees or fewer and a turnover of less than 6 million. This is a cost effective and sensible option which enables smaller companies to participate in certification. Ecobuild provides us with an excellent forum to engage with a broad range of stakeholders from across the timber and construction industry and have therefore already committed to next years show.

FOREST CERTIFICATION IN ACTION

Earlier this month, PEFC UK and James Jones & Sons Scotlands largest independent saw miller co-hosted a field trip to the Scottish borders.
The visit was designed to demonstrate sustainable forest management in action. The group included stakeholders from a broad range of sectors including forestry, primary processing, financial services, retail and paper product manufacturing. After seeing tree felling taking place in Tweedhopefootrig Forest, Moffat, the group were taken on a tour of the James Jones & Sons sawmill at Lockerbie to see the processes involved in transforming a log into a range of sawn timber products. The trip was designed to explain the value of chain of custody certification and demonstrate the rigorous processes involved in bringing certified wood to market. It also enabled participants to consider how the use and promotion of certified timber could be expanded within their own industry sectors. The trip finished with a visit to AW Jenkinson Forest Products and the attached E.ON biomass facility. Participants were able to see how the bi-products of the harvested logs such as chips and bark are chipped and made into the basic ingredients of OSB, MDF, landscaping material and biomass fuel, for the creation of zero carbon electricity at the E.ON station next door. Alun Watkins who heads up PEFC in the UK commented this is the first time we have taken stakeholders to see sustainable forest management in action. The feedback from participants was so positive that we hope to run more trips to certified forests in the future.

Seeing the harvesting operation in action at Tweedhopefootrig Forest in Moffat.

NEW BOARD APPOINTMENT TO PEFC INTERNATIONAL

Mr. Jintiach also serves as the elected official representing indigenous peoples of Latin America in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and as a focal point in the indigenous peoples caucus within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Forest Investment Program (FIP) within the World Bank. He studied Natural Resources Management at the University of San Francisco of Quito. Mr Juan Carlos Jintiach is a Shuar from the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador. He has been working with the Shuar, Achuar, and Kiwchuas communities and indigenous organisations of Ecuador. Most recently, he worked as a Parliamentary advisor in the Republic of Ecuadors National Congress.

Juan Carlos Jintiach was appointed to the PEFC Board of Directors in January 2013. Attending his first Board meeting, Juan Carlos commented Indigenous peoples have been managing forests sustainably for generations.
For us, forest certification represents a mechanism that can give us recognition and respect for our often unnoticed contribution in protecting our forests. What we offer in return is our commitment, our experience and our traditional knowledge gathered through hundreds or thousands of years that we have been living in the Amazon basin. Juan Carlos Jintiach currently serves as International Cooperation Specialist for COICA - an international body that

coordinates activities between national indigenous organisations of the nine Amazonian countries Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Guyana, French Guyana, Surinam, Bolivia, and Venezuela. We warmly welcome Mr. Jintiach and the unique perspective he brings to the PEFC Board of Directors and are looking forward to a long and fruitful collaboration, commented William Street, Chairman of PEFC International. As the worlds largest forest certification system PEFC is also at the forefront of advancing social sustainability standards. We understand the importance of the historical and cultural uniqueness of indigenous peoples interests. Free, prior and informed consent, the UN Declaration on Indigenous Peoples Rights, and ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples are all an integral part of our standards.

MEET PEFC
PEFC UK AGM 4th July 2013 Country Land & Business Association London SW1 PEFC UK Annual Stakeholder Meeting 4th July 2013 Society of Chemical Engineers London SW1 Timber Expo 2013 24-25 September 2013 National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham

ANNUAL STAKEHOLDER DAY

With the aim of building on the success of last years inaugural Stakeholder Event, PEFC will be hosting a second Annual Stakeholder Meeting in the summer.
The theme of this years meeting will be the EU Timber Regulation and its implementation. Free to attend and open to all stakeholders, the meeting will be chaired by Peter Latham, Chairman of James Latham and a member of the Board of PEFC Council. The event will start at 2.15 p.m. on Thursday 4th July and will close with a drinks reception in the Belgrave Square home of the Society of Chemical Industries. Further details will be up on the UK website shortly but places are strictly limited so if youd like to reserve your place now, please e-mail hilary.khawam@pefc.co.uk

CONTACTS
Alun Watkins PEFC UK National Secretary e awatkins@pefc.co.uk t 01143 072 334 ...for all general enquiries and queries about Chain of Custody and use of the PEFC logo. Hilary Khawam PEFC Communications Director e hilary.khawam@pefc.co.uk t 01689 819 902 ...for marketing and communications enquiries.