CLIMATE MITIGATION – AFFORESTATION

Performance Measure 2.1. Certified Organizations shall promptly reforest after final harvest.

Performance Measure 2.2. Certified Organizations shall have a program to minimize chemical use required to achieve management objectives while protecting employees, neighbors, the public and the environment, including wildlife and aquatic habitats.

Performance Measure 2.3. Certified Organizations shall implement practices that protect and maintain forest and soil productivity and soil health.

Performance Measure 2.4. Certified Organizations shall manage to protect forests from damaging agents, such as environmentally or economically undesirable levels of wildfire, pests, diseases, and invasive species, to maintain and improve long-term forest health, productivity, and economic viability.

Performance Measure 2.5. Certified Organizations that deploy improved planting stock, including varietal seedlings, shall use best scientific methods.

Performance Measure 3.1. Certified Organizations shall meet or exceed all applicable federal, provincial, state and local water quality laws and meet or exceed best management practices.

Performance Measure 3.2. Certified Organizations shall implement water, wetland, and riparian protection programs based on climate, soil type, terrain, vegetation, ecological function, harvesting system, state best management practices (BMPs), provincial guidelines and other applicable factors

Performance Measure 4.1. Certified Organizations shall conserve biological diversity.

Performance Measure 4.2. Certified Organizations shall protect threatened and endangered species, critically imperiled and imperiled species (Forests with Exceptional Conservation Values), and natural communities, and old-growth forests.

Performance Measure 4.3. Certified Organizations shall manage to protect ecologically important sites in a manner that takes into account their unique qualities.

Performance Measure 4.4. Certified Organizations shall apply knowledge gained through research, science, technology, field experience and the results of monitoring of the effectiveness of conservation-related programs to manage wildlife habitat and contribute to the conservation of biological diversity.

Performance Measure 5.1. Certified Organizations shall manage the impact of harvesting on visual quality

Performance Measure 5.2. Certified Organizations shall manage the size, shape, and placement of clearcut harvests.

Performance Measure 5.3. Certified Organizations shall adopt a green-up requirement or alternative methods that provide for visual quality.

Performance Measure 5.4. Certified Organizations shall support and promote recreational opportunities for the public.

Performance Measure 9.1 Certified Organizations shall individually and/or through cooperative efforts involving SFI Implementation Committees or other partners identify and address the climate change risks to forests and forest operations and develop appropriate adaptation objectives and strategies. Strategies are based on best scientific information.

Performance Measure 9.2 Certified Organizations shall individually and/or through cooperative efforts involving SFI Implementation Committees or other partners identify and address opportunities to mitigate the effects associated with its forest operations on climate change.

Performance Measure 10.1 On the forests they own or manage, Certified Organizations shall limit susceptibility to undesirable impacts of wildfire, promote healthy and resilient forest conditions through management techniques, actions and/or policies, and support restoration of forests following wildfire damage.

Performance Measure 10.2 Certified Organizations shall individually and/or through cooperative efforts involving government agencies, SFI Implementation Committees, Project Learning Tree, or other partners, engage in efforts to raise awareness of and take action towards benefits of fire management and minimization of undesirable impacts of wildfire.

Performance Measure 2.2. Certified Organizations shall have a program to minimize chemical use required to achieve management objectives while protecting employees, neighbors, the public and the environment, including wildlife and aquatic habitats.

Performance Measure 2.3. Certified Organizations shall implement practices that protect and maintain forest and soil productivity and soil health.

Performance Measure 2.4. Certified Organizations shall manage to protect forests from damaging agents, such as environmentally or economically undesirable levels of wildfire, pests, diseases, and invasive species, to maintain and improve long-term forest health, productivity, and economic viability.

Performance Measure 2.5. Certified Organizations that deploy improved planting stock, including varietal seedlings, shall use best scientific methods.

Performance Measure 3.1. Certified Organizations shall meet or exceed all applicable federal, provincial, state and local water quality laws and meet or exceed best management practices.

Performance Measure 3.2. Certified Organizations shall implement water, wetland, and riparian protection programs based on climate, soil type, terrain, vegetation, ecological function, harvesting system, state best management practices (BMPs), provincial guidelines and other applicable factors

Performance Measure 4.1. Certified Organizations shall conserve biological diversity.

Performance Measure 4.2. Certified Organizations shall protect threatened and endangered species, critically imperiled and imperiled species (Forests with Exceptional Conservation Values), and natural communities, and old-growth forests.

Performance Measure 4.3. Certified Organizations shall manage to protect ecologically important sites in a manner that takes into account their unique qualities.

Performance Measure 4.4. Certified Organizations shall apply knowledge gained through research, science, technology, field experience and the results of monitoring of the effectiveness of conservation-related programs to manage wildlife habitat and contribute to the conservation of biological diversity.

Performance Measure 5.1. Certified Organizations shall manage the impact of harvesting on visual quality

Performance Measure 5.2. Certified Organizations shall manage the size, shape, and placement of clearcut harvests.

Performance Measure 5.3. Certified Organizations shall adopt a green-up requirement or alternative methods that provide for visual quality.

Performance Measure 5.4. Certified Organizations shall support and promote recreational opportunities for the public.

Performance Measure 9.1 Certified Organizations shall individually and/or through cooperative efforts involving SFI Implementation Committees or other partners identify and address the climate change risks to forests and forest operations and develop appropriate adaptation objectives and strategies. Strategies are based on best scientific information.

Performance Measure 9.2 Certified Organizations shall individually and/or through cooperative efforts involving SFI Implementation Committees or other partners identify and address opportunities to mitigate the effects associated with its forest operations on climate change.

Performance Measure 10.1 On the forests they own or manage, Certified Organizations shall limit susceptibility to undesirable impacts of wildfire, promote healthy and resilient forest conditions through management techniques, actions and/or policies, and support restoration of forests following wildfire damage.

Performance Measure 10.2 Certified Organizations shall individually and/or through cooperative efforts involving government agencies, SFI Implementation Committees, Project Learning Tree, or other partners, engage in efforts to raise awareness of and take action towards benefits of fire management and minimization of undesirable impacts of wildfire.

Indicator 2. Certified Organizations shall develop an adaptation plan to address priority climate change risks, via effective implementation of the SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard requirements for potential adaptive management including: a. periodic updates of forest inventory and recalculation of planned harvests as appropriate to account for changes in growth due to productivity increases or decreases, including improved data, long-term drought, fertilization, climate change, or forest health; b. access to growth and yield modeling capabilities; c. documented harvest trends within long-term sustainable levels identified in the forest management plan, and d. appropriate research, testing, evaluation, and deployment of improved planting stock, including varietal seedlings.

Indicator 3. Certified Organizations shall document how their adaptation plan objectives and strategies fit within broader regional climate adaptation strategies and plans, where they exist.

Indicator 4. Certified Organizations shall report annually to SFI Inc. their progress towards achieving climate change adaptation strategies and plans.

Performance Measure 9.2 Certified Organizations shall individually and/or through cooperative efforts involving SFI Implementation Committees or other partners identify and address opportunities to mitigate the effects associated with its forest operations on climate change.

Indicator 1. Based on best scientific information, Certified Organizations shall identify and address opportunities to enhance the climate benefits associated with forest management operations on the forests they own or manage via effective implementation of the SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard requirements such as: a. Objective 2 – Forest Health and Productivity; Objective 10 – Fire Resilience and Awareness; and/or other silvicultural or operational practices to enhance the climate benefits associated with their forest operations.

Indicator 2. Based on best scientific information, Certified Organizations shall identify and address opportunities to enhance ecosystem resilience for the forests they own or manage via effective implementation of the SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard requirements including: a. prompt reforestation or planned natural reforestation as per Indicator 2.1.1; b. adequate regeneration and appropriate actions to correct understocked areas, and c. evaluation for afforestation of areas that are not ecologically important, and d. protection of desirable or planned advanced regeneration during harvest and the retention of vigorous trees during partial harvest.

Indicator 3. Based on best scientific information, Certified Organizations shall develop a program to identify and address greenhouse gas emissions within their operational control.

Indicator 4. Certified Organizations shall report annually to SFI Inc. their measures to mitigate climate change associated with forest operations.

Performance Measure 2.5. Certified Organizations that deploy improved planting stock, including varietal seedlings, shall use best scientific methods.

Performance Measure 3.1. Certified Organizations shall meet or exceed all applicable federal, provincial, state and local water quality laws and meet or exceed best management practices.

Performance Measure 3.2. Certified Organizations shall implement water, wetland, and riparian protection programs based on climate, soil type, terrain, vegetation, ecological function, harvesting system, state best management practices (BMPs), provincial guidelines and other applicable factors

Performance Measure 4.1. Certified Organizations shall conserve biological diversity.

Performance Measure 4.2. Certified Organizations shall protect threatened and endangered species, critically imperiled and imperiled species (Forests with Exceptional Conservation Values), and natural communities, and old-growth forests.

Performance Measure 4.3. Certified Organizations shall manage to protect ecologically important sites in a manner that takes into account their unique qualities.

Performance Measure 4.4. Certified Organizations shall apply knowledge gained through research, science, technology, field experience and the results of monitoring of the effectiveness of conservation-related programs to manage wildlife habitat and contribute to the conservation of biological diversity.

Performance Measure 9.1 Certified Organizations shall individually and/or through cooperative efforts involving SFI Implementation Committees or other partners identify and address the climate change risks to forests and forest operations and develop appropriate adaptation objectives and strategies. Strategies are based on best scientific information.

Performance Measure 9.2 Certified Organizations shall individually and/or through cooperative efforts involving SFI Implementation Committees or other partners identify and address opportunities to mitigate the effects associated with its forest operations on climate change.

Performance Measure 10.1 On the forests they own or manage, Certified Organizations shall limit susceptibility to undesirable impacts of wildfire, promote healthy and resilient forest conditions through management techniques, actions and/or policies, and support restoration of forests following wildfire damage.

Performance Measure 10.2 Certified Organizations shall individually and/or through cooperative efforts involving government agencies, SFI Implementation Committees, Project Learning Tree, or other partners, engage in efforts to raise awareness of and take action towards benefits of fire management and minimization of undesirable impacts of wildfire.