A strategic meeting of the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) was held in Jūrmala last week. The four-day gathering brought together representatives of the organisation from all over Europe. Among the participants was FSC Director General Subhra Bhattacharjee.
“The aim of the meeting was to discuss and develop a strategy for tackling pressing problems, including regulation of the “grey” timber market, as well as the introduction of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and compliance with the Renewable Energy Directive. Last week we also met representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, “Rīgas meži” and other important organisations. “During the meeting we considered how FSC standards, which guarantee the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable forest management, could be used even more effectively,” comments Aidas Pivoriūnas, FSC project manager in Latvia and Lithuania.
Latvia has become the first country in the region in which FSC certification has also given official recognition to an “ecosystem service” – the use of forests to conserve biodiversity and to absorb carbon dioxide. “In practice this means that a forest is valued not only as a source of raw material, but also as an important natural resource capable of supporting rare species and mitigating the effects of climate change. That makes Latvia a pioneer in the Baltics, demonstrating a new approach to understanding the value of forests,” emphasises Aidas Pivoriūnas, FSC project manager in Latvia and Lithuania.
At present, the priority for FSC Europe is the fight against deforestation. Demand for timber and timber products is growing worldwide, yet in many regions agricultural development and urban expansion call for forests to be cleared, resulting in timber shortages and climate problems. The EU is one of the few regions showing positive momentum in forest restoration. To keep that trend on track, the European Commission has drawn up the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which aims to halt global deforestation.
Forests are a hugely important natural resource, able to absorb carbon dioxide and to soften the effects of climate change. The data show that it is in Europe that average annual temperatures are rising fastest. Heat triggers wildfires (in Spain and Portugal) and alters the climatic landscape, as happened with the exceptionally wet and cool summer in Latvia. “It is foresters who are the first to feel the effects of our efforts to preserve forests. Their task is to keep learning and to adapt to changes never seen before,” comments Subhra Bhattacharjee, FSC Director General.
Public interest in “nature's services” is growing – biodiversity, free access to water, soil protection, improved air quality, and other things nature offers and provides: honey, birch sap, recreation in the forest. The Covid-19 pandemic significantly changed attitudes towards the forest as a space – it became a place for restoring mental health and for solitude. People began to relax in the forest more often, to go hiking, and even moved to live in more remote places. Since the pandemic this trend has only grown stronger, and it encourages the people of Latvia to take even greater care of forest ecology and conservation.
The problem of “grey” timber is also a live issue in Europe and the Baltics. “There is still a great deal of timber of questionable origin on the market. Everything depends on the end consumer – if they set no requirements as to the origin of the raw material, then grey schemes “flourish”,” comments A. Pivoriūnas. The FSC certification system helps ensure transparency in supply chains and guarantees business resilience. Its scope also covers the conservation of biodiversity, the social protection of people employed in forestry, and the reduction of negative impacts on the climate. In the Baltic region, where both certified and uncertified suppliers are active, it is especially important to use a traceability system so that “grey” timber does not enter supply chains.
FSC research shows that forests with FSC certification in the Baltic states have better occupational safety and sustainability indicators. Certified owners voluntarily set aside 10% of their forests for maintaining and enriching biodiversity.
Latvia is well known within the international forestry community thanks to its historically sustainable forest management, strong scientific base and well-developed processing industry. It is countries such as this that form a solid foundation for the FSC system, which seeks a balance between ecological sustainability, social responsibility and economic viability. That is precisely why a meeting of this level took place in Jūrmala, allowing experts, under the leadership of the organisation's Director General, to discuss current challenges and the integration of the regulation at an international level.
About FSC
Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) is an international organisation that develops standards for responsible forest management. Worldwide, FSC has certified more than 160 million hectares of forest and thousands of timber processing, pulp and trading companies. FSC helps countries and businesses introduce resilient practices, ensures transparency in supply chains and invests in the conservation of biodiversity in Europe and across the world.