Myanmar’s forests gain visibility through PEFC membership

The sustainable management of India’s forests is set to take a significant step forward next week with the launch of the development process of the Indian national forest certification system. This launch, an important step towards PEFC-recognized forest management certification in the country, will be part of an international conference on forest certification in New Delhi on Monday. “In light of India’s vast forest resource, burgeoning economy, and strategic position in international markets, there is great opportunity to further position India’s forestry sector on sustainability, especially through broader uptake of forest certification,” said Sarah Price, Head of Projects and Development at PEFC International.

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced today that the Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, certified Blackwater River and Tate’s Hell State Forests, covering 413,000 acres, through one of the world’s most recognized, independent, third-party forest management certification standards, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). “We are proud of our efforts to ensure that the land and resources entrusted to the Florida Forest Service are managed responsibly and conscientiously. Thanks to certification programs, such as SFI, the public can remain confident that our state forests are managed in line with some of the highest standards in the nation and will remain healthy and productive for generations to come,” stated Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam.

There was a long period when having a live Christmas tree was a big no-no, for reasons I can no longer remember. First, folks got upset about people buying trees instead of cutting their own. Then there was the controversy about people getting their own instead of cutting one. Actually, I think it had more to do with the disposal of the tree than anything else. There are a staggering 25 million to 30 million trees purchased every year in the U.S. Burning them in the chimney creates creosote problems. Landfill space is scarce and expensive. A live tree can stay in the house for about four weeks at most, then spend the next four centuries in the landfill. This is not a sustainable practice when you consider the number of trees involved. Click read more below for additional detail.