CFWC Assists Formation
of New FM Group
The Center for Forest and Wood Certification has assisted Kiker Resource Management LLC (KRM) in the formation of a new FSC forest management group certificate in North and South Carolina.
 The Center has provided technical assistance by providing template group manuals and example monitoring forms. The Center's certificate is also being used as an incubator for the new group certificate. KRM has brought 14 group members into the Center's certificate totaling 7,323 acres offering immediate certification while the other certificate gets going. Once the KRM certificate is finalized in the coming weeks, these 14 members will be transferred from the Center's certificate into KRM's. A full case study of success of the Center assisting with the formation of a private sustainable certificate will be released in the coming months. If you would like to participate or get more information about the Center's Group Building Program contact us using the information in the sidebar.
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CFWC Undergoes Annual Audits
The Center for Forest and Wood Certification is in the middle of their Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and American Tree Farm System® forest management (FM) and FSC chain-of-custody (CoC) audits. The field audits for the FM certificate have been
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Chris Will (L), Cooperating Forester, shows
Tucker Watts (R), Auditor, a retired stream crossing.
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completed with audits taking place in Kentucky, Mississippi, and North Carolina. But a final FM certificate decision has not been issued because the technical report has not been finalized. Field audits on the CoC side are scheduled for the last week of February. They were scheduled for January but a snow storm in the Ohio Valley forced the audit to be rescheduled. However, a few phone audits with some loggers and distributors have already taken place. We'll keep you posted when a final certificate decision is issued for both FM and CoC.
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Lumber Liquidators Pays
$13 Million Fine
Lumber Liquidators was sentenced to five year probation and will
pay $13 million in fines in a plea agreement for smuggling illegal wood products into the United States. This is the
 largest fine under Lacey Act enforcements. The Lacey Act makes it illegal to import wood products illegally harvested under the laws of the country of origin. Lumber Liquidators would falsify documents to misstate the species and country of origin of timber. Read more about the case here at U.S. Department of Justice website. Several certification schemes, such as FSC and PEFC, can assist forest industry in compliance with the Lacey Act under their chain-of-custody standards. Certification won't meet all the requirements of the Lacey Act but will demonstrate due diligence when importing wood products.
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Center Sponsors and Support
The Center wishes to thank our sustaining and supporting sponsors. Particular thanks are given to corporate sponsors providing sustaining multiple year commitments including Time Inc., Domtar Corporation, Central Appalachian Forestry Alliance, Mountain Association for Community and Economic Development, and Kentucky Division of Forestry. Sustaining contributions are also being provided by the University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Department of Forestry, and the Kentucky Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee. Center also wishes to thank organizations for providing endorsement of the Center including the Kentucky Forest Industries Association, Tennessee Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee, Kentucky Chapter of the Association of Consulting Foresters, and the Kentucky Woodland Owners Association. For more information about our partners and how you can support the Center's mission, goals, and projects please visit here.
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The Center for Forest and Wood Certification is a partnership venture focused on enhancing wood and forest certification. The Center is provided direction by eight partners including University, non-profit, forest industry, and consulting foresters. The Center is housed at the University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Department of Forestry and is funded through membership fees, grants, and gifts with oversight and management by Cooperative Extension Service personnel at the University of Kentucky.
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