Sustainable Forest Management Certification - An ISO Approach, 1995 Process & Product Quality Conference Proceedings

Gerald Lapointe

Canadian Pulp and Paper Association

Canada and Australia have jointly submitted a proposal for a new work item to the ISO Technical Committee TC 207, calling for an Environmental Management Systems (EMS) standard specifically adapted to the forest sector. The proposal, entitled “Guide to the Application of ISO 14001 in the Forestry Sector for Sustainable Forest Management”, was sent in early May to all delegates to TC 207, with a six-month balloting period. The question of TC 207, in principle, undertaking development of sectoral application guidelines will be debated at the TC 207 Annual Meeting scheduled for Oslo, Norway on June 24 - July 1, 1995. Canada and Australia firmly believe that a sectoral guideline for forestry is essential and that this work is best accomplished under the guidance and discipline of the ISO 14000 environmental program. In the meantime, sustainable forest management standards being developed by the Canadian Standards Association are expected to be published by the end of 1995. It is anticipated that some forest products companies will seek certification in 1996.