Twenty one member companies of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) and nine leading environmental organizations have jointly unveiled the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement – a three-year conservation landmark that applies to 72 million hectares of public forests licensed to FPAC members. When fully implemented the agreement will conserve significant areas of Canada’s Boreal Forest, protect threatened woodland caribou and provide a competitive market edge for participating companies. Under the agreement, FPAC members, who manage two-thirds of all certified forest land in Canada, have committed themselves to practic forestr to to the highest environmental standards of forest management. For their part, the involved conservation groups (including Canopy, ForestEthics and Greenpeace) have commited themselves to global recognition and support for the conservation efforts of FPAC members. The agreement also calls for the suspension of new logging on nearly 29 million hectares of Boreal Forest so that conservation plans to protect endangered caribou can be developed, while maintaining essential fiber supplies for uninterrupted mill operations. The environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) also have agreed to suspend their “Do Not Buy” campaigns against participating FPAC member companies while the agreement is being implemented. “The importance of this agreement cannot be overstated,” said Avrim Lazar, president and CEO of FPAC. “FPAC member companies and their ENGO counterparts have turned the old paradigm on its head. Together we have identified a more intelligent, productive way to manage economic and environmental challenges in the Boreal that will reassure global buyers of our products’ sustainability. It’s gratifying to see nearly a decade of industry transformation and hard work greening our operations, is culminating in a process that will set a forestry standard that will be the envy of the world.” Environmental groups, including the three organizations that have been mobilizing large customers towards green products, say the coming together of two traditional adversaries reflects a new commitment to a common goal. “This is our best chance to save woodland caribou, permanently protect vast areas of the Boreal Forest and put in place sustainable forestry practices,” said Richard Brooks, spokesperson for participating environmental organizations and Forest Campaign Coordinator of Greenpeace Canada. “Concerns from the public and the marketplace about wilderness conservation and species loss have been critical drivers in arriving at this agreement. We have a lot of work to do together to make this agreement successful and we are committed to make it happen.”
The Pew Environment Group and Ivey Foundation worked to support the two sides coming together and to facilitate the negotiations.
The Agreement identifies explicit commitments for both sides and sets out a plan, which includes:
- The development and implementation of world-leading forest management and harvesting practices;
- The completion of joint proposals for networks of protected areas and the recovery of species at risk including woodland caribou;
- A full life cycle approach to forest carbon management; and
- Support for the economic future of forest communities and for the recognition of conservation achievements in the global marketplace.
