UK Wide Partnership to Take Stand on Sustainable Forestry
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5 November 2002
In a move that is thought to be the first forestry initiative of its kind in the world, the forest and forest products industries, environmental groups, the devolved administrations and the UK Government have agreed to work in partnership to promote sustainable development in the forestry sector in the UK and abroad.
Areas on which the partnership has agreed to focus include:
- denying access of illegally harvested timber and wood products to the UK market and providing help to developing countries to tackle illegal logging;
- purchasing timber and timber products from legal and sustainably-managed forests with credible independent verification as proof, and giving encouragement for others to do likewise;
- increasing the area of independently certified forest from 40% to 60%, and the amount of certified timber produced from 60% to 80% over the next five years; and
- restoring and protecting woodlands in the UK and overseas.
Representatives of the forestry and forest products industries, environmental groups, the devolved administrations, and government were invited last year by the Prime Minister to initially provide him with advice on forestry issues prior to the World Summit in Johannesburg. This partnership has now decided that it wants to have a role beyond the Summit to work to develop actions to promote sustainable development in the sector, at both domestic and global level.
On top of the actions already listed, the forestry business sector is preparing a strategy setting out its commitment to sustainable development. The Strategy is being developed by key business sector representatives led by the UK’s Forest Industries Development Council, in consultation with other stakeholders.
FIDC’s sustainability task group chairman, George McRobbie said: “ The UK’s forest industries are putting themselves at the forefront of the global drive to develop truly sustainable business sectors. Our strategy, which is now available on-line for public comment, addresses sustainability in its broadest sense and covers the whole wood-chain, from growing through to timber products. We expect the strategy to help us reinforce the message that the social, environmental and economic attributes of wood make it a highly sustainable choice and a key tool for delivering sustainable development.”
Notes to Editors
1. For further details contact Pat Hunter Blair, Forest Service Headquarters, telephone 02890 520100, or the Forest Service website www.forestserviceni.gov.uk.
2. Further details of the UK Forest Partnership for Action are also available on the Forestry Commission's website: www.forestry.gov.uk/sustainableforestry
3. Further details of the business sector’s sustainability strategy are available on the Forest Industries Development Council’s website: www.fidc.org.uk/sustainableforestry
4. Organisations involved in the partnership are:
Northern Ireland Forest Service
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Department for International Development (DfID)
Forest Industries Development Council
Forestry Commission
Kingfisher plc
National Assembly for Wales
RSPB
Scottish Executive
Timber Trade Federation
Woodland Trust
WWF-UK
