There has been a significant leap forward in forest management in the Baltic states which will give an important boost to the availability of certified timber.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accredited body SGS Qualifor has just awarded the first certificates to the state forestry companies of Latvia and Lithuania.
The certificate awarded to LVM in Latvia covers the 205,000ha Austrumvidzeme region. Three further LVM regions will be assessed by SGS Qualifor this year.
In Lithuania, two forest enterprises of the Ministry of Forests and Protected Areas, Birzai and Panevezys, covering 66,000ha, have been certified.
Programme director Neil Judd said: ‘This is an exciting development for forest certification in the Baltic region and will give significant momentum to the supply of certified material.’
SGS Qualifor is also active in the Novgorod region of Russia and has certified eight regional forest directorates in Poland.
