Sustainable Forestry Initiative
The SFI program was launched in 1994 as one of the U.S. forest sector’s contributions to the vision of sustainable development established by the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Its original principles and implementation guidelines began in 1995, and it evolved as the first SFI national standard backed by third-party audits in 1998.
Today, SFI Inc. is an independent, non-profit organization responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving a sustainable forestry certification program that is internationally recognized and is the largest single forest standard in the world.
The SFI 2010-2014 Standard is based on principles and measures that promote sustainable forest management and consider all forest values. It includes unique fiber sourcing requirements to promote responsible forest management on all forest lands in North America. SFI certification also extends to the market. When they see the SFI label on a product, consumers can be confident they are buying wood or paper from responsible sources – whether it is reams of paper, packaging or two-by-fours.
Important Sustainable Forestry Resources for Forest Landowners:
- Arkansas's Voluntary Best Management Practices
- Reforestation and Afforestation
- Visual Quality Management
- Conservation of Critical Wildlife Habitat Elements, Biodiversity, Threatened and Endangered Species, and Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value
- Management of Harvest Residue Considers Economic, Social, Environmental Factors and Other Utilization Needs
- Control of Invasive Exotic Plants and Animals
- Characteristics of Special Sites
