News that the UK Certification Scheme for Sustainable Forest Management has received international endorsement from the Pan European Forest Certification Council (PEFCC) has been described as ‘a great day for the UK forestry industry’.
Len Yull, chairman of PEFC UK, has led the UK scheme through an eight month rigorous assessment process.
He said: ‘The scheme, which uses UK Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS) as its base document, provides foresters and woodland owners with the opportunity of using independent certifiers, accredited by the UK Accreditation Service, to certify the sustainable management of UK forests.
‘This is a great day for the UK forestry industry. The UK scheme joins 10 other independent national forest certification schemes already endorsed, covering more than 4.2 million ha, a forest area equivalent to the combined land area of the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.’
Mr Yull says the timber industry worldwide rallied round to raise the £10,000 needed for the independent accreditation. ‘It was a very intensive process’, he added, ‘but we have achieved the objective. It has all been about trying to maintain and develop access to markets.
‘I was confident that the UKWAS standard would be endorsed because it is unique on a global basis as it has been agreed and signed up to by every possible stakeholder you could think of.’
Ben Gunneberg, secretarygeneral of the PEFCC, said members voted unanimously to endorse the independent UK scheme as meeting PEFCC requirements.
