British woodlands green bill of health

After eight months of painstaking examination by independent experts, forestry Commission forests and woodlands throughout Britain have been given a 'green' bill of health. Auditors have confirmed that the wood produced from the forestry Commission's 800,000-hectare (two million-acre) estate meets the highest international environmental, economical and social standards.

Certificates acknowledging this were handed over this week. The country now has the sixth largest area of certified forest in the world. This means that products made from timber from any of these forests will be able to carry a label certifying its green origins. This provides reassurance to consumers that the wood they are buying comes from an ecologically sound source.

Recognising the international importance of certification for the Commission's woodlands, English forestry Minister Elliot Morley said: "When you think of the scale of some of the world's largest timber-producing nations, we can be justifiably proud that here in Britain we now have one of the largest certified areas of forest in the world. That is no mean achievement and helps to secure Britain's reputation as one of the world's leading players in responsible forest management.

"It also brings reassurance to all of us with an interest in the many benefits that our forests offer that the highest environmental standards are being applied and that the interests of those who work and play in our forests are being protected.

"Work is ongoing to make certification more accessible to all owners and I hope that many private owners will follow forest Enterprise's lead."

Forest Enterprise, the Commission's agency that manages its woods, was audited against the UK Woodland Assurance Scheme (UKWAS), a standard of management agreed earlier this year by all sectors of the forestry industry, private woodland owners, environmental organisations and the Government. This standard meets the criteria of the forest Stewardship Council (FSC) - an international body concerned with responsible management in forestry.

Those woodland owners who are successfully audited against the UKWAS standard by FSC-accredited certifiers are entitled to use the internationally recognised FSC trademark. Goods which have been audited at each stage of the manufacturing process, from forest to factory, may carry the FSC label. It is intended that the UKWAS standard should provide access to other credible international labels as they develop.

The audit, carried out by SGS forestry, an independent body accredited by the FSC, covered all areas of forest Enterprise's management, from harvesting, landscape considerations and wildlife management, to health and safety issues and community involvement.

Forest Enterprise's first lorry load of certified timber left the gates of Cannock Chase forest in the West Midlands today, bound for Worcester-based company forest Fencing. Witnessing its departure, forest Enterprise Chief Executive Bob McIntosh said: "This is an important day for us. Our customers are demanding certified timber and this helps us to maintain our position in the global market, safeguarding existing outlets and opening up new ones.

"While we were confident that our standards would meet the criteria, the certification process has been no push-over. This has been an important exercise not just for the consumer but for us too. We have learned valuable lessons from the rigorous scrutiny to which we were subjected, which can only serve to strengthen our organisation and increase our stakeholders' confidence in our performance as managers of the public forests."

More than 5 million cubic metres of timber are harvested from the Commission's forests in Great Britain each year. The wood is mainly used for construction timbers, paper making, panelboards, fencing and pallets.

Cannock Chase welcomes more than two million visitors every year, while producing more than 1,000 lorry loads of timber from Scots and Corsican pine. Outlets for the timber include fencing and construction. Sensitive management of areas of lowland heath on the Chase has seen a doubling in numbers of both woodlark and nightjar in recent years. Education plays an important part in forest Enterprise's work at Cannock, with a new education centre welcoming 10,000 children a year.