New edition of sustainable forestry standard coming in 2016

Sustainability is vital to the success of Canada’s forestry industry, and is a major concern for consumers, environmental groups, industry, government and other stakeholders. 

It is this concern that prompted the development of CSA Z809 – Sustainable Forest Management, the first standard of its kind in the world. First published in 1996, CSA Z809 remains Canada’s national standard for sustainable forest management (SFM), as recognized by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). The new edition of this national standard is expected to publish in early 2016. 

CSA Z809 was created to help specify requirements for sustainable forest management of a defined forest area, including guidelines for:

• Management framework;
• Public participation;
• Performance measures and targets;
• Monitoring of effectiveness;
• Continuous improvement; and more.

The standard was developed according to internationally recognized processes, and incorporates Canada’s national SFM criteria in co-ordination with the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers, as well as locally adapted indicators developed through public consultation.

The new edition features several important changes and updates, including:

• A stronger, standalone section specific to Aboriginal people;
• The addition of a core requirement for meeting prescriptions that protect water features;
• The addition of Heritage features to the list of special sites of geological, biological or cultural significance.
• A new separate element for requirements related to the safety of employees, contractors and affected communities.

The public had been invited to get involved and influence the final version of this important document, which was recently up for public review. All comments are currently being reviewed and considered before the final version of the standard is published.

To learn more about the upcoming edition of CSA Z809, or to download the current version of the standard, visit CSA Group’s website.

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