“Half of Italy’s domestic timber production comes from poplar plantations and an overwhelming majority is used for plywood production,” said Antonio Brunori, secretary-general of PEFC Italia.
“There is a strong demand for certified poplar wood from Italian industries and we therefore decided to develop a poplar plantation standard in close co-operation with the Poplar Research Institute at Casale Monferrato in Italy.”
The standard is currently being assessed independently, while a public consultation period has also started, with all comments to be received by February 19.
“With the certification standard, we want to assure that all other benefits of sustainable forest management are also implemented on the plantation areas and are annually controlled by independent certifiers,” added Mr Brunori.
