Public Invited To Be Part Of State Forest Sustainability Certification Audit

SmartWood, an organization accredited to offer independent, third-party certification of environmentally responsible forest-management practices, is inviting the public to submit comments in August during its review of Pennsylvania's 2.2 million-acre state forest system.
The assessment will evaluate the ecological, economic and social performance of the Bureau of Forestry according to forest management guidelines established by the Forest Stewardship Council. The council was formed in 1993 by environmental, social and forest-products industry representatives to establish guidelines for sound forest-management practices.
DCNR Secretary John Quigley has expressed concerns recent Marcellus Shale natural gas leasing and drilling in State Forests may jeopardize the sustainable forest certification. (3/1/10 Pa Environment Digest)
"This certification process helps us see our management plans and practices through a different set of eyes, and lets us know how we can improve to ensure that we are doing everything we can to manage the state forest system for its varied values and uses, and protect its long-term viability," State Forester Dan Devlin said.
A SmartWood project team of foresters and forest ecologists will visit Sproul, Susquehannock and Tioga state forests from August 4-5, meeting with Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officials and stakeholders.
The team will score woodlands on timber-resource sustainability, forest-ecosystem maintenance, financial and socioeconomic considerations and other categories.
As a part of the process, certification auditors invite stakeholders to offer comments either publicly or confidentially, and provide feedback on DCNR's forest management.
To schedule a meeting with auditors or provide feedback, stakeholders should contact Steve Grado with SmartWood send email to: sgrado@hotmail.com or call 662-617-3691.
SmartWood is recognized as the world's leading Forest Stewardship Council forest management certifier. The certification assures consumers that wood products from the state's public forests come from a responsibly managed system, which helps Pennsylvania to compete in the growing niche consumer market for certified label wood products.