Woodland Trust wins hat trick for woodland management
The Woodland Trust has just gained its third successive Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificate for managing its woods sustainably.
Andrew Sharkey, the Trust's head of woodland management said: "Earlier this year, we had our woods audited for our next five-year FSC certificate. The auditors inspected some of our woods in England, Scotland and Wales and were once again impressed with the commitment and dedication of our staff and the high standard of work seen during the inspections."
The FSC is an independent, not-for-profit organisation established to promote the responsible management of the world's forests.
Gordon Pfetscher, the Trust's UK operations manager said: "Ten years ago, the Woodland Trust was the first major land owner to have its whole woodland estate certified by the FSC. Many others, including the Forestry Commission, National Trust and the RSPB, have since followed our lead. The granting of our latest certificate is the result of hard work from over 40 woodland officers who look after more than 1,000 sites."
This year, the Woodland Trust is leading the way again as the first big land owner to be audited against a new UK standard designed to make the auditing process easier and cheaper for owners of small low intensity managed woods. Named 'SLIM' for short, it is hoped it will also encourage more woodland owners to commit to FSC principles.
SLIM certification offers real cost and logistical savings because small, low-intensity managed woods are classified into a lower risk category and therefore audits don't have to be completed every year.
Gordon Pfetscher went on to say: "The SLIM standard is new to the UK and we expect many woodland owners interested in certification to once again follow our lead. We think it's a very sensible idea to link the frequency of audits to the scale and intensity of management, so we see this as a very positive step in forest certification. We hope it will encourage more people to join this vitally important scheme."
