UK forest certification in action
The latest PEFC UK Stakeholder Field Trip and Meeting headed to Hexham and Prudhoe in North East England in mid-May.
UK forest certification in action
30 May 2017 News
The journey behind the harvesting of certified timber, what Chain of Custody certification means in practice and the value it adds to forest products were the focus of the latest PEFC UK Stakeholder Field Trip and Meeting.
Hosted by PEFC UK and co-sponsored by Egger UK, James Jones & Sons and Scottish Woodlands, the field trip headed to Hexham and Prudhoe in North East England in mid-May.
Why certification matters
The trip aimed to give the participants, each representing an influential end user sector, a better understanding of sustainable forest management. They got the chance to learn why certification matters and what steps their sector can take to demonstrate its support for producers who have invested in responsible forest management.
Delegates visited the certified Winnows Hill Forest and had the choice of visiting a certified timber products manufacturing site (Egger) or a tissue products manufacturer (SCA), to better understand the important steps that underpin PEFC Chain of Custody certification.
“I’d like to extend PEFC’s thanks to our hosts and sponsors in addition to the participants who made time to join us,” said PEFC UK’s Executive Director Alun Watkins.
“The visit was designed to demonstrate certification in action and the links between the forest and the marketplace. We are keen to ensure that influential end users such as brand owners and retailers understand certification and what lies behind the PEFC label”.
Challenges, benefits and opportunities
The group included representatives from the timber and forestry sectors in addition to end users such as ASDA, Tesco, Debenhams, John Lewis, Keepmoat, Greggs and Whitbread.
After the site visits, an informal roundtable discussion centered on sustainable and responsible sourcing, consumer uptake, forest and Chain of Custody certification. They also covered the challenges, benefits and business opportunities certification presents.