The Emerging Role of Tree Farm Inspectors in Forest Certification
Some things change and some remain the same. The American Tree Farm System (ATFS) is no exception. For more than 60 years Tree Farm’s mission has stayed the same – getting more good forestry on more acres and keeping it there for generations to come. It is a mission that many embrace. As the Tree Farm program has evolved over the years, with changes in staff, priorities and policies - growing pains and all – the program has remained true to its proud heritage.
Support from field foresters and technicians has been instrumental in carrying out the Tree Farm program. Tree Farm inspectors are the eyes, the ears, and the hands of the program – ambassadors to the landowners in the System. Why do inspectors choose to serve? Tree Farm is a program they believe in, a program consistent with their values. For many it is a part of their job, and they do their jobs well. It is the interaction of these foresters with landowners that results in the forest management accomplishments recognized by the Tree Farm sign.
Lately, the Tree Farm sign has come to mean even more than a job well done. The new signs read “CERTIFIED” Tree Farm. It is a subtle but meaningful change that acknowledges Tree Farm as a forest certification program. Tree Farm has always been a program that recognizes sustainable forest management. As other certification systems began to emerge in the 1990’s, Tree Farm leaders had the foresight to step up program quality to keep Tree Farm on the leading edge. Some things change, but the mission remains the same.
In recent years, the standards and guidelines for acceptance of properties as Tree Farms have been strengthened and brought in line with industry’s Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Minimum qualifications for Tree Farm Inspectors are in place, and a standardized training program is being delivered to all those who are qualified to certify Tree Farm properties. These changes have enhanced the quality and credibility of the Tree Farm program, setting the stage for a new chapter in Tree Farm’s prolific history.
The forest certification movement has added a new dimension to ATFS by opening doors to numerous opportunities to help fulfill its mission of more good forestry on more acres. Some of the opportunities are:
- Heightened Awareness and Support - the certification movement has brought renewed interest and support for the Tree Farm program. Tree Farm is recognized as a well established program, capable of providing industry with a steady supply of certified wood while assuring the public that private forests are being managed for the future.
- Added benefits to Tree Farmers - a mutual recognition agreement between Tree Farm and the American Forest and Paper Association’s Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) signed in 2000 means that wood from Tree Farms is already recognized as certified. That allows Tree Farmers the opportunity to be preferred suppliers for AF&PA member companies and paves the way for greater market access in the future.
- More Help in the Field - as attention has re-focused on Tree Farm as a certification program, more foresters are either being assigned or volunteering to do Tree Farm inspections. ATFS is seeing more support from industry and private consultants.
- Potential for Growth - the pressure is on from industry to grow the Tree Farm System to accommodate future demand for certified wood from non-industrial sources. As Tree Farm is sponsored in part by industry, more funding is anticipated to help get more non-industrial ownerships enrolled in the Tree Farm System.
- International Mutual Recognition – both Tree Farm and SFI are exploring mutual recognition with other certification systems including that of the Pan European Forest Certification Council. If accomplished, Tree Farmers will enjoy greater market access abroad and wood from Tree Farms could ultimately bear the on-product labels of the recognized systems.
More developments are underway to take advantage of these opportunities. PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) independent review of Tree Farm’s certification processes assessed the strengths and weaknesses of Tree Farm’s certification process to help identify further program improvements that could lead to international mutual recognition.
Why seek an independent audit of the Tree Farm System? First, the audit was part of ATFS’s mutual recognition agreement with SFI. Second, an audit would reveal areas for continuous program improvement. And third, it would demonstrate program credibility and offer quality assurance to Tree Farmers, the marketplace, and the general public that ATFS is what it says it is – a program that consistently verifies the practice of sustainable forestry on private non-industrial forestlands.
In many ways, forest certification is business as usual for the Tree Farm program. It is the landowners’ stamp of approval for meeting the standards and guidelines set by the American Forest Foundation. It is a certificate and the familiar green and white Tree Farm sign. It is the processing of the 004 form from the inspection to entry in the national database and all points in between and beyond.
The certification process needs to run smoothly, efficiently and consistently – herein lies the challenge for inspectors, regional chairs, state committees and the national office. To realize the opportunities that certification presents, everyone involved has to step up and do their share. Qualified foresters and technicians have the opportunity to make the Tree Farm program shine by carrying out inspections in a timely, businesslike fashion. Ensuring documentation exists to back up decisions to certify, re-certify, or decertify Tree Farms will be essential is critical, as well as encouraging inactive inspectors join ATFS efforts.
As the forest certification movement intensifies, Tree Farm is positioned to be the preferred certification system for smaller non-industrial forest landowners. It’s cost effective, well known and highly regarded. ATFS has standards and guidelines that landowners can embrace as they reach their management goals and gain access to certified wood markets. And ATFS has an extensive network of volunteers dedicated to making it happen.
ATFS believes that forest certification is a three step process – beginning with outreach, leading to professional forestry assistance, and culminating in the placement of the Tree Farm sign on properties that meet standards and guidelines. It’s an approach that has worked for more than 60 years. No matter what changes come along to make the program better, ATFS will continue to do what it does best – get more good forestry on more acres and keep it there for generations to come. There has never been a better time to get involved in ATFS.
