Sustainable Forestry: Sustainable forestry refers to a system where forest management ensures that the amount of production from a forest, balances out with the forest's natural production without degradation of the soil, watershed features or seed source for the future. It is an attempt to be nuetral and not deminish or degrade the forest  for human needs.

Elements of a sustainable forest include clean water, wildlife and where seed trees are grow thay are left to regenerate naturally.  Sustainable forestry  takes into consideration the potential of natural vegetation, annual growth and the number of trees per stand as well as the position of the forest and the general landscape.

What is Sustainable Timber?

Sustainable timber comes from certified sustainable forests. One of the global organizations offering a certification system is the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). They are a non profit association and have accredited certifiers throughout the world to certify the forests and timber plantations in that region.

Sustainable timber needs to have grown within a sustainable forest and be processed by certified sustainable methods.

Certified Timber Organizations

There are various methods and organizations that offer auditing services to certify timber. FSC is one, which is based in Bonn, Germany. They have a generic standard for sustainable forest management. The FSC branches off into smaller organizations throughout the world, each with their own set of criteria for that region. This result is the branch in South Africa will have different criteria to a branch in the United Kingdom.

If the forest meets the criteria or passes the different tests, the forest product is awarded the mark of responsible forestry. Another organization which works on similar principles is the SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative). The main difference between the SFI and FSC is that the SFI has one standard for all regions and jurisdictions.

The Process of Certifying

Each organization has different methods of certifying a forest. The FSC has different indicators for each region as well. Although the indicators is adapted per region, country or forest type, the FSC works on an international standard of ten Principles and 56 Criteria for Forest Management that remain the same throughout the world

The FSC has three main categories that they based on the principles of the environmental, social and economic impacts of forest management. They main body of the FSC evaluates, accredits and monitors their branched off organizations, who are authorized to certify with their seal of approval, on a regular basis.

Certified Timber

In South Africa, SGS - a standards and certification business, has been authenticated to give the FSC seal of approval for forestry. This step has not yet taken place in Mauritius.

According to Ivan Muir from the SGS, about 80% of the forests in South Africa are FSC certified. However, in the bigger picture, that only accounts for 1.5 million hectares, out of the 100 million hectares certified in the world. The 80% includes natural forests that are sustainable.

They rate on the three pillars of the FSC system: social criteria, environmental, economical, and social. The SGS work on the same principles and system as the FSC, with alterations due to the differences.

SGS is a global business with a network of over a thousand offices and laboratories around the world - including Mauritius. Their core services including inspection, testing, certification and verification.

In order for timber to be fully certified, the process from the forestry, through to the final product, needs to be certified as sustainable. Natural forests are harvested of alien trees first (for example: blackwood) and then the old, senescent trees are harvested. This is controlled by SA National Parks who own the land.

Green Rating Certified Wood

In order for timber to be green in building, it needs to be certified by a registered organization and given the official sustainable seal of approval. Elements of timber within the green building industry might include beams, framing and flooring.

In most rated processes, using sustainable timber will add to your overall green rating points. At the moment the producers of FSC certified timber are not receiving a price premier for their timber, which puts them at a disadvantage. However if niche markets are secured, it could make a difference for them by boosting business in return for their efforts.

Contact details for companies that are certified, are available on the websites.