The Role of New Hampshire SFI State Implementation Committee
SFI responds to local needs across the U.S. and Canada through 34 SFI Implementation Committees at the state, provincial, and regional levels. These committees work with local, forestry, and professional associations, universities, government agencies, landowner groups, conservation groups, and many others to promote SFI standards as a means to broaden the practice of responsible forestry and achieve on-the-ground progress.
This grassroots network support logger training, youth education, conservation research and community engagement activities. SFI Implementation Committees are a critical part of our work promoting the SFI Standards, collaborating on the training of harvesting professionals and connecting people and communities to the forest. The committees also support youth engagement and education initiatives to encourage future leaders.
All SFI Program Participants owning or operating primary forest product facilities, owning or managing forestland, or procuring fiber within the state or province are expected to participate in their local SFI Implementation Committee. This approach to training and implementation of responsible forestry practices is unique to the SFI Program — no other forest certification program in the world has this level of grassroots support to promote responsible forestry, best management practices for water quality, and training.
Learn more at https://www.forests.org/sic/
SFI Implementation Committee Core Priorities:
SFI Implementation Committees are an integral part of the SFI program and play a vital role in promoting training and landowner outreach, maintaining integrity of the SFI program and supporting and promoting responsible forestry and the SFI program at the state, provincial and regional level.
LOGGER TRAINING AND EDUCATION: SICs establish criteria and identify delivery mechanisms for logger and forester training to reach the thousands of independent contractors that are the key to the quality of forest harvesting operations.
RESPONDING TO INCONSISTENT PRACTICES INQUIRIES: SICs – through monitoring of inconsistent practices – offer a forum to provide information or answer questions about local forestry operations, and they also provide a process to respond to questions or concerns about forestry practices on lands certified to the SFI Standard and beyond.
LANDOWNER OUTREACH: SICs provide sustainable forestry information and support to family forest landowners in collaboration with local conservation groups, government agencies, university extensions, forestry and professional associations, landowner groups and many others. These landowner outreach efforts seek to improve forest management on both certified and uncertified lands.
INCREASING SFI PROGRAM RECOGNITION: SFI’s unique grassroots network seeks to increase SFI program recognition, awareness and support with local government agencies, legislative officials and key stakeholder groups, like architects and green building advocates.
