Canada Home to World's Largest Certified Forest

At 13.6 million acres, Alberta, Canada is now home to the largest area of FSC-certified forest (Forest Stewardship Council) in the world.

Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries has achieved certification by accredited certifier SmartWood, a program of the Rainforest Alliance. The certification follows a comprehensive 10-month assessment according to FSC Canada’s National Boreal Standard. It included verification of Alberta-Pacific’s forest management operations, interviews with more than 100 stakeholder, Aboriginal and community representatives, and reviews of written responses to surveys sent to 200 residents in the area.

Andy Neigel, Alberta Pacific’s general manager and vice president of operations, says Alberta-Pacific pursued FSC certification because of it’s credibility in the global marketplace, track record as a results-oriented independent organization, endorsement by Aboriginal people, environmental and conservation groups and businesses, and focus on achieving social and economic as well as environmental standards.

“We are now able to satisfy requests we receive from customers worldwide who are introducing FSC- certified paper and seeking suppliers of FSC- certified kraft pulp.”

Heiko Liedeker, executive director of FSC International, says the size and location of Alberta-Pacific’s forest area will have a ripple effect on the supply and demand for FSC-certified products on the global market.

“We expect other companies and other countries to take notice of the achievement of Alberta-Pacific and the progress of Canada in embracing the responsible management of their forests, particularly in the boreal forests,” says Liedeker. “We know from our surveys that the demand for many FSC-certified products is greater than the supply.”

“The thirteen million plus acres that were FSC-certified on September 22nd is not only huge in terms of the size of the territory, but also in terms of the market impact,” stated Antony Marcil, president and CEO of FSC Canada. “In one fell swoop, over 600,000 tons of mostly hardwood pulp is added to the supply of FSC-certified raw material for the paper makers of the world. This will add to the avalanche of quality FSC-certified paper grades and weights that have come onto the market in 2005 and are now available for corporations and governments that are looking to have their paper purchases meet their sustainability and social responsibility commitments.”

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and Ducks Unlimited participated in the certification assessment process. They partnered with Alberta-Pacific to identify High Conservation Value Forests and areas that should be deferred from harvest and act as ecological benchmarks to compare to harvested landscapes.

With Alberta-Pacific’s certification, Canada is now the leading country in the world for FSC certified forest with 35.3 million acres, or 23% of the global total. Alberta-Pacific’s certification is also the first in Alberta as well as the first within the boreal forest of Western Canada.

Alberta-Pacific is a privately held company in northeastern Alberta owned by Mitsubishi Corporation (70%) and Oji Paper Co. Ltd. (30%), which operates Canada’s newest, and North America?s largest, single-line bleached kraft pulp mill.