A public committee that has worked with local forest companies on sustainable forest management along the Sunshine Coast for over a decade, has received the CSA Sustainable Forest Management User Group Chairman’s award for its leadership and personal commitment.
“The Stillwater CSA Community Advisory Group is one of many dedicated multi-stakeholder public groups in forest communities across Canada that provide advice on locally adapted performance indicators of good forest management,” said John Dunford, chair of the group representing the forest companies certified to CSA in Canada.
Dunford said advisory groups help balance the demands placed on public forests within the context of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) sustainable forest certification standard.
“We are fortunate to have many dedicated public advisory groups actively engaged in this process and I am pleased this year to recognize the achievements of the Stillwater Community Advisory Group,”he said.
The advisory group has helped ensure local forest management meets strict on-the-ground tests required by CSA for each of the biological, environmental and social criteria of sustainable forest management.
“This is excellent news,” said Shannon Janzen, chief forester at Western Forest Products Inc., upon learning of the award. “The CSA User Group made a great choice in selecting the Stillwater Community Advisory Group for this award. Since its establishment in 2000, this group has worked tirelessly in support of sustainable forest management through the CSA process. The members continually impress us with their commitment to the co-existence of multiple resource values within the working forests of Tree Farm License 39 Block 1. It is great that these volunteers are being recognized in this way for all their hard work and dedication. It is well deserved.”
