Slimy, slithery creatures take centre stage at Halloween, but they fascinate children all year round. Kids are onto something because these animals are important to the health and biodiversity of Canada’s forests. That’s why the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is proud to support important conservation research on amphibians and their habitat led by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and the Earth Rangers’ School Assembly Program, which leverages kids’ love of nature — even the slimy and slithering kind.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) convened researchers, conservationists, academics and government officials from across North America this week for the first full-scale meeting of the SFI Sounding Board to provide guidance for the SFI Conservation Impact Project. This project, launched by SFI in September at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress, is a large-scale effort to quantify conservation benefits of well-managed forests stretching across North America from British Columbia to Florida. Forests certified to the SFI Forest Management Standard cover more than 280 million acres/113 million hectares. Millions more benefit from the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard.

BillerudKorsnäs’ has been recognised for its leadership in response to climate change and has been awarded a position on the Climate A-list by CDP. CDP is a non-profit organisation that works to transform the way the world does business, thus preventing damaging climate change. The CDP Climate A-list was produced at the request of 827 investors representing joint assets of US$100 trillion. A total of 193 companies, or 9% of all companies that submitted its climate disclosures were included on the list, which reflects global leadership in actions to mitigate climate change.

FSC US released a new campaign – One Simple Action – supported by some of the world’s largest consumer-facing companies, such as Kimberly-Clark. This is the first time that global companies work together to promote FSC in the US. HP Inc., International Paper, McDonald’s, Procter and Gamble, and Williams-Sonoma Inc. joined Kimberly-Clark to partner with FSC and WWF, with a goal of showing consumers how One Simple Action - buying FSC-certified products - can help take care of forests for future generations.

While the Stora Enso vessel TransPaper travels between Northern Finland and Continental Europe carrying board and paper to our customers, it is also helping researchers gather climate data from what is one of the world's most sensitive waters, the brackish Baltic Sea. The boat is equipped with an automated device collecting air and water samples at regular intervals for environmental research. It measures, for instance, salinity, chlorophyll, alkalinity, phosphate/nitrate levels, and the concentration of cyanobacterias. In addition, measurement of the sea surface temperature is used for modeling ice coverage in Bothnian Bay.

UPM has been included in the CDP Climate A List. UPM is featured in the CDP's climate change program for the eight years in a row for its climate actions and transparent climate reporting. UPM's Biofore strategy meets the challenges set by climate change on many levels: it promotes sustainable forestry, resource efficient production and the manufacturing of recyclable products that are based on renewable raw materials. "Apart from actions, also the quality of reporting matters. Investors and other important stakeholders use our public data to evaluate how well we tackle global climate challenges and changes in market conditions and comply with related regulations", says Sami Lundgren, Vice President, Environment & Responsibility.

Metsä Board has been identified as a global leader for its actions and strategies in response to climate change and has been awarded a position on the Climate A List by CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project), the international not-for-profit organisation that drives sustainable economies. Metsä Board is among 9% of corporations participating in CDP’s climate change programme to be awarded a position on the list, in recognition of its actions to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change in the past reporting year.

Every October is an exciting time for the industry as we celebrate National Forest Products Week and get to remind the world of the many benefits of choosing paper and paper packaging. At home, school, the workplace and all points in between, paper, packaging, tissue and wood products provide undeniable value to consumers and communities across the country. And the best part of using forest products for everyday use is they are made from a renewable and recyclable resource. In 2015, the industry recovered 66.8 percent of paper and paperboard in the U.S. And we achieve continuously high recovery rates through the voluntary, market-driven recovery system. Compared to other recyclable commodities, the recovery rate of paper and paper-based packaging from municipal solid waste streams is very high. Promoting increased paper recycling is an integral part of our industry’s sustainable practices. Since AF&PA instituted the first paper recovery goal, the industry has worked with partners to promote increased paper recovery in communities, on college campuses, in schools, and businesses. click Read More below for more of the story

As the world’s leaders head to Marrakech this November for the latest climate change talks, PEFC is gathering its stakeholders in Bali to explore how we can amplify the essential role that forests and trees play in providing solutions to some of the world’s most complex challenges. 7 billion people live on our planet, this means that demands for food and fiber are continuing to mount. Agriculture, conservation, development and other land uses all compete for space. We already know that forests have a vital role to play, a role that has been further reinforced within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Accord. And we hope, as the Conference of the Parties meet again, that forests will once again be a high priority. click Read More below for additional detail

The paper recycling rate in Europe reached an impressive 71.5% as announced by the European Recovered Paper Council (ERPC) in their final monitoring report for 2015. Compared to 2010, collection and recycling has increased by almost one million tonnes of paper. This is due in part to the excellent work of the ERPC. The 2015 European paper recycling rate of 71.5% is 1.5% higher than the target set by the ERPC in the 3rd European Declaration on Paper Recycling for the period 2010-2015. We are proud to report on the impressive work completed, following the pledge it first made in 2000 to expand paper recycling in Europe. click Read More below for additional detail

SCA, a leading global hygiene and forest products company, has joined the Circular Economy 100 (CE100), an Ellen MacArthur Foundation program established to enable organizations to develop new circular opportunities. The transition to a circular economy – powered by renewable energy and in which resources and energy are used as effectively as possible – is the core of any low-carbon society. The CE100 membership will help accelerate SCA’s circular economy ambitions and further enhance SCA’s ability to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, and Goal 13: Climate Change. click Read More below for additional detail

For 24 years, the Clemson University community has come together to build a Habitat for Humanity home for a local family during the 10 days leading up to the homecoming football game. As an orange wave of pride in Clemson Tigers football surged across campus, a new home for a local family came to life on Bowman Field on Saturday. The project was supported in part this year by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant program in partnership with the South Carolina SFI Implementation Committee. The grant provided funding and wood products certified to SFI. Wood was donated by Kapstone Paper and Packaging, Norbord provided subflooring, and Huber contributed roof and wall sheathing — all of which are SFI Program Participants and committee members. click Read More below for more of the story

Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) recently recognized International Paper with an FSC Leadership Award for forest certification commitment and program innovation. The FSC Leadership Awards celebrate organizations and people who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to responsible forest management and FSC. Winners were selected by a jury panel of professionals, FSC staff, and board members and were announced at the FSC Leadership Awards ceremony on Oct. 5, 2016 at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles. International Paper was recognized for its innovative U.S. FSC certification strategy to increase the amount of FSC certified fiber used in packaging, pulp, and paper products. One of the ways International Paper increased the amount of FSC certified fiber was the development of its own FSC forest management group - Certified Forest Management LLC (CFM LLC). CFM LLC is managed by International Paper's fiber supply team and has become a cost-effective means for small private landowners to become FSC certified. click Read More below for additional detail

For the first time, six publicly traded companies – some of which are competitors – have come together to promote the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) directly to consumers. The companies are HP Inc., International Paper, Kimberly-Clark, McDonald's, Procter & Gamble, and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. All sell FSC-certified products. Launching today with a video titled "One Simple Action," the campaign represents an unprecedented corporate-NGO partnership, which includes FSC and World Wildlife Fund. The goal is to encourage consumers to purchase products bearing the FSC label, which means the forests the products came from were managed responsibly. click Read More below for additional information

The majority of students today live in urban environments and have limited opportunities to explore and become familiar with a forest and how forest products are made, including paper. Helping teachers and students increase their understanding of complex environmental issues, with a particular focus on the forest, is the goal of our most recent Fact Sheet: Teacher Resources Related to Paper, Forest Products and the Environment, a comprehensive list of websites that provide useful teaching resources. The list includes links to materials for all educational levels about trees, sustainable forest management, biodiversity, wildlife, recycling and much more in the form of lesson plans, power points and videos that can be used in the classroom, outdoor activities, data analysis tools, contests and interactive games as well as teacher’s tours and workshops about sustainable forestry across the U.S. and Canada. click Read More below for additional information

Don’t be afraid to use paper and packaging, just make sure they are PEFC-certified! This is set to be the key message of the 1st PEFC Sustainability Fair in Chile later this month. Join the Chilean Sustainable Forest Certification System, CERTFOR, and PEFC International, in Santiago, Chile on 26 October, as we seek to raise awareness of sustainable forest products and promote the use of paper and packaging certified by PEFC, the world’s leading forest certification system. Responsible procurement is a concept that has not only grown in importance for consumers. Today, it is also part of public policy in Chile for the purchase of paper and furniture, and a cornerstone in programs of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for many organizations around the world. click Read More below for important details

The Atlantic Forest that hugs the coastal areas of Brazil is one of the country's most environmentally threatened biomes. UPM Raflatac is pleased to announce it will be contributing to the protection of this vital ecosystem by partnering on a one-hectare reforestation project of the Jaguari River. UPM Raflatac has teamed up with the Prefeitura Municipal de Jaguariúna, Ambev, The Nature Conservancy, Associação Mata Ciliar, Embrapa-Meio Ambiente, Agência das Bacias PCJ and Agência Nacional de Águas (ANA) for this reforestation project along a Permanent Protection Area of the Jaguari River in the city of Jaguariúna, where UPM Raflatac Brazil is headquartered and operates a terminal supporting the South American market. The project will kick-off on Wednesday, October 5 with a special tree planting event to be attended by UPM Raflatac employees and local students. Part of the city of Jaguariúna's "Programa Bacias Jaguariúna," which creates partnerships with companies located there, the Brazil Reforestation Project will create a riparian buffer zone along the Jaguari River, which supplies 95 percent of the water supply to the nearby city. Riparian buffers help improve water quality by preventing pollutants from reaching a river or stream, and by planting 1,666 native Mata Atlantic species trees, construction of fences along the recovered area, and continued maintenance, the river will flow cleaner than ever before. It is expected the project will last for two years, due to wildfire prevention, soil treatment, irrigation, and growth of the planted trees. click Read More for additional detail

Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone who lives off the land just got along? If farmers could grow crops without irreversibly damaging the soil or cutting down forests to grow monocultures? If conservationists could ensure the biological diversity in the same area? If the chocolate factory could purchase enough cocoa for the foreseeable future without depleting the natural resources? And if the government could reach its goals of moving poor people out of poverty? Well, that wouldn’t be just nice, that would be perfect. So it has to be unrealistic. Maybe for now, but it doesn’t hurt to be aspirational, says Terry Sunderland, Team Leader Sustainable Landscapes and Food Systems at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). click Read More below for more information