We got some good news this week – our Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certificate for the Black Spruce/Dog River-Matawin forest in Northwestern Ontario has been reinstated. The reinstatement further confirms Resolute’s status as one of the largest holders of FSC forest management certification in Canada and all of North America.
The certificate had been temporarily suspended in January 2014 following an audit by Rainforest Alliance. In keeping with the FSC process, Resolute has since successfully undergone two rigorous audits, which confirmed that we are in compliance with the FSC standard.
In spite of this positive development, Resolute has concerns about the serious challenges that FSC and its membership must address. We’re actively involved in the FSC process to address these issues, and we hope that in doing so, the impact on those whose livelihoods depend on the forest will be taken into consideration. However, considering the seriousness of the issues, we and other companies are concerned about the viability of FSC certification in the Canadian Boreal Forest. Until significant progress is made in addressing these matters, Resolute will work to maintain our existing FSC forest management certificates where possible, but will not pursue new certification.
One thing that won’t change is our commitment to sustainable forest management. 100% of the woodlands we manage are independently certified to one or more of the three internationally-recognized responsible forest management standards in use in Canada – Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®), Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and FSC.
