January 2011

AGREEMENT REACHED BETWEEN THE FINNISH MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND UPM ON PROTECTING FORESTS IN KAINUU

FINLAND, Jan 25, 2011 - The international Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) granted its unqualified approval to Finland’s redrafted FSC standard on 21st January 2011. The new FSC standard can be adopted once a three-month transitional period has passed.

Common ground on Finland’s national FSC standard was attained after lengthy negotiations between the three chambers of FSC Finland and various stakeholder groups. The meeting of the Finnish FSC Association approved the standard in November 2010.

The results of the 2010 CPET (Central Point of Expertise on Timber) Review, published on 21st January, concluded that both PEFC (Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) continue to deliver evidence of sustainability in compliance with the UK Government’s timber policy.

DAR ES SALAAM (AlertNet) – Tanzania plans to draw up a comprehensive inventory of its forests to replace outdated statistics and help the east African country to conserve woodland, preserve livelihoods and curb climate change.

NEW YORK (24 January 2010)—A new study issued today by some of the world's top experts on forest governance finds fault with a spate of international accords, and helps explain their failure to stop rampant destruction of the world's most vulnerable forests. The report suggests that global efforts have too often ignored local needs, while failing to address the most fundamental challenge to global forest management—that deforestation usually is caused by economic pressures imposed from outside the forests.