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New Brunswick Sustainable Forestry InitiativeŽ (SFI) Implementation Committee


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In New Brunswick, the SFIŽ Program is managed by the New Brunswick SFI Implementation Committee (NBSIC). The committee is made up of interested stakeholders, the Department of Natural Resources of New Brunswick and SFI program participants that operate facilities, manage timberlands or procure wood fiber within New Brunswick. The Association of Registered Professional Foresters of New Brunswick serves as the general administrator of the NBSIC. The committee was formed in 2002 and meets four times annually to promote the development of the SFI Program in New Brunswick and to facilitate a response to provincial level implementation issues, which include:

* Inconsistent forestry practices public hotline (1-888-SFI-4888);

* Coordination of a provincial survey system for the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) on private land.

* Information package for private woodlot owners and contractors; and

* SFI forest worker training criteria.


Map of SFIŽ Certified Lands in New Brunswick


SFI Implementation Committees (SICs) Activities and Responsibilities


Vision Statement


SFI Implementation Committees (SICs) are an integral part of the SFI program and play a vital role in promoting training and landowner outreach, maintaining the integrity of the SFI program and supporting and promoting responsible forestry and the SFI Program at local levels. Through a consensus-based process, SFI program participants have defined SIC responsibilities as:

Overall SIC Mission


Effectively facilitate or manage at a state, provincial, or regional level the programs and alliances which support the growth of sustainable forest management through the SFI program.

Core SIC Mission

Priorities for all SICs
  1. Training and Education: Establish criteria and identify delivery mechanisms for logging professional, forest resource professional and wood producer training and defining what it means to be `'SFI trained''.
  2. Inconsistent Practices: Establish protocols for addressing, investigating, and responding to SFI Standard non-conformity allegations and inconsistent practices and allegations regarding non-program participant forest management practices.
  3. Landowner Outreach: Focus landowner outreach efforts on education and technical assistance.
  4. Informational Resources: Focus informational resource efforts on increasing SFI program recognition, awareness and support with groups such as local opinion leaders and forestry resource professionals.
  5. Annual Reporting: Submit the SIC Annual Progress Report to SFI, Inc.
  6. SFI Program Integrity: Protect the integrity of the SFI program by:
    1. ensuring proper SIC service mark usage,
    2. alerting SFI, Inc. when improper communications or misleading claims
      are observed,
    3. avoiding the appearance of participation or compliance by non-SFI program participants and
    4. avoiding appearance of third-party certification by non-SFI program participants.

Secondary SIC Mission

Priorities determined by each SIC, individual participants may choose not to participate or support these objectives.
  1. Training and Education: Provide delivery mechanisms for logging professional, forest resource professional and wood producer training to address SFI program needs not adequately provided by other programs.
  2. Market Outreach: Sponsor active market outreach efforts in local communities that may include paid advertising.
  3. Recruitment: Encourage large landowners and all forest-products faciilities to enroll as SFI program participants; encourage family forest owners to participate in American Tree Farm System or similar programs, recognized by the SFI program, as appropriate.
  4. Encourage government agencies to provide accessible, timely, accurate harvest and regeneration statistics, in support of a program participant's sustainable forestry program.
  5. Research: Promote forestry research, science and technology, upon which sustainable forest management decisions are based.

The Sustainable Forestry InitiativeŽ (SFI) Program


The Sustainable Forestry InitiativeŽ is a program of forestry and conservation practices designed to help ensure that future generations will have the same abundant forests that we enjoy today. The framework of the SFI Program revolves around the idea that sound environmental practices coupled with strategic business plans can benefit all stakeholders involved. SFI Inc., a fully independent registered non-profit organization has a governance structure with equal representation from social, economic and environmental chambers.

The SFI Standard is made up of a combination of principles. Participants have an important stewardship responsibility and commitment to society in following and supporting these principles. Independent stakeholder groups having broad experience in forest sustainability helped develop this Standard. SFI Objectives are intended to provide measures for evaluating member conformance with the SFI Principles. This gives forest managers the direction needed to expand the practice of sustainable forestry and to visibly improve performance.

Complying with the SFI standard involves incorporating sustainable actions such as:
  • Broadening the practice of sustainable forestry
  • Ensuring long-term forest productivity and conservation
  • Protecting water quality in streams, lakes and other water bodies
  • Managing the quality and distribution of wildlife habitats and contributing to the
    conservation of biological diversity
  • Managing the visual impact of harvesting and other forest operations
  • Managing special sites
  • Promoting the efficient use of forest resources
  • Broadening the practice of sustainable forestry through procurement programs
  • Improving forestry research, science and technology.
  • Improving the practice of sustainable forest management through appropriate training
    and education programs.
  • Committing to comply with applicable federal, provincial, state, or local laws and
    regulations.
  • Broadening the practice of sustainable forestry by encouraging the public and forestry
    community to participate in the commitment to sustainable forestry and publicly report
    progress.
  • Promoting continual improvement in the practice of sustainable forestry and monitor,
    measure, and report performance in achieving the commitment to sustainable forestry.
Education and Outreach are components of the SFI Standard which enable participants to convey information about Best Management Practices across all forestlands and provide results to ensure adherence to the Standard.

SFI also addresses other issues and values that are very important to the public, such as aesthetics and public recreation. SFI fully recognizes that the forest is more than trees and that care for other resources must be integrated into plans for growing and harvesting forest products.

To learn more about the Sustainable Forestry Initiative click here.