The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) has introduced changes to its 2015-2019 Standards and Rules to improve sustainable forest management and better decision-making within the industry.

Kathy Abusow, president and chief executive officer of the SFI, emphasized the future of Canada’s forests is dependent on such “credible and transparent standards” because they enable the use of sustainable resources.

The revisions include a standard that helps protect wildlife, water quality, biodiversity, endangered species and valuable forests across North America.

Abusow said that SFI’s work also strengthens the link between “healthy forests, responsible purchasing and sustainable communities.”

Lawrence Selzer, chair of the SFI Board of Directors and president and chief executive officer of The Conservation Fund, said the new standards are “shaped by the people and communities who put them into practice every day.” This includes both public and private landowners, as well as forest sector representatives, indigenous communities and conservation groups, among others.

Additional standards include the SFI 2015-2019 Fibre Sourcing Standard to promote requirements that address 90 per cent of global forests that are not certified. This standard directs how SFI program participants procure fibre from non-certified land.

Lastly, the SFI 2015-2019 Chain of Custody Standard is a global measure to track the percentage of fibre from certified forests, certified sourcing and recycled content through production and manufacturing to the end product.

More information on the updates and review process can be found on the SFI website.