In the United States, members of the recently established Certified Forest Products Council, headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, have a similar commitment to buying certified products. Whether you are a landowner or a manufacturer, forest certification may eventually affect you. An increasing number of landowners and manufacturers are looking at certification as a potential way to establish a competitive advantage in the market place. Additionally, the certification process offers a way to measure efficiency and identify opportunities for improvement. As one of the first United States companies to certify its forestland, it received national media attention and received a Presidential Award for Sustainability.
Certification can improve credibility.
Certified landowners are seen as partners by environmental groups rather than as adversaries. In fact, many landowners embrace certification as a way to reduce the controversy surrounding forest management. The Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry recently received certification for 1.2 million acres. Certification validates forest stewardship and serves to legitimize practices and assure continued management opportunities. A number of studies have concluded that a segment of the population will pay more for certified forest products, but, so far, companies have had little success in targeting this elusive consumer segment.