Forestry Services Ltd (FSL) has announced that it has become the “first private forestry company in Ireland to achieve Dual Certification in Forest Management”.
The certification was issued to FSL by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) following an independent audit from the Soil Association.
Commenting on the achievement, Andy Grundy from the Soil Association said: “FSL has shown great commitment to embedding certification knowledge in its team and we congratulate it on successfully gaining both FSC and PEFC certification after undergoing the First Dual Certification Forest Audit in Ireland.”
Certification verifies that a forest is managed sustainably which provides reassurance to the customer and full traceability that the timber has been sourced from a sustainably managed forest.
Jim Hurley from Euroforest Ireland Ltd has noted that the timber supply from the private sector is increasing and said “the roundwood from certified forests – with associated chain of custody certification – attracts stronger market access and price.
The differential between certified and non-certified roundwood price in the market will expand as the supply from the private sector increases.
Mechteld Schuller from Commercial Forestry Services Ltd added: “It was a privilege to work with FSL on this journey to dual certification and I congratulate it on this significant achievement.
“The rewarding of dual certification reflects the quality of the systems and procedures put in place and represents an important development in the forestry sector.”
Concluding, FSL’s general manager Tadhg Dooley said: “This is a proud day for our company.
Dual Certification of adherence to the Best International Standards and Systems in Forest Management and Timber Sales is a confidence boost for both our team and our clients.
More information on the certification scheme is available here.