Forest management is something that we place an extraordinarily high value on here at Brightsea. It’s something we take into consideration for all of our products and services, but what exactly is it and why is it so important? In this article, we’ll be delving into the process of Forest Management and how we can all support this great initiative!
A Brief Introduction
Forest management is the process of implementing various practises and techniques for the care, management and use of forests and other wooded areas. It also includes mapping out various plans in order to achieve various economic, legal, environmental and scientific objectives. This could potentially include human intervention that contributes towards the safeguarding and maintenance of forest ecosystems, or particular actions that are specific to a socially or economically valuable species or group of species.
Currently, there isn’t a global definition in place for the term ‘sustainable forest management’ (SFM) due to the vast diversity that planet earth has of species and forest types. However, generally, SFM can be seen as the sustainable and responsible use and conservation of forests and other wooded areas of land in perpetuity.
The Importance of FSC
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a global organisation with the mission of promoting sustainable, socially beneficial and economically viable management of forests. They play a vital role in safeguarding forests and wooded areas across the globe, through responsible management and use. The FSC focuses on two significant main areas:
Forest Management
The owner or manager of the land is responsible for ensuring the forest is managed with a long term vision, which should meet current and future needs. The certification offered by the FSC for forest management involves an audit which is carried out by an independent organisation that ensures the management team, and the forest itself meets the agreed international and national standards for forest management.
Chain of Custody
Chain of Custody covers every step of the manufacturing or production process to ensure that customers receive a wholly FSC certified final result. Audits are also carried out by an independent organisation to ensure that all products are genuinely certified. We’ve chosen to comply with the FSC requirements and can proudly carry the logo on our products having been regularly certified. This is to ensure that our customers know we are committed to responsible forest management.
Forest Management and the Print Industry
Despite more and more people talking about the possibility of a paperless world, the demand for print only seems to be getting stronger and paper consumption continues to grow globally. This is why, now more than ever, it is important that companies that operate in the print industry, and customers and suppliers of those companies are made aware of the difference that can be made by well-managed forests and FSC certified supply chains.
It is unlikely that we’ll ever stop using paper; it has become an integral part of our world and continues to open up new possibilities for us every day. Therefore, through responsibly and sustainably managed forests, the world can continue to use paper with suppliers that have a long term focus of managing their forests.
Print is an integral part of our day to day lives, serving us with information, entertainment, education and advertising, which touches all parts of the UK and world economy. It is important that our products are recyclable and renewable, as this is what will allow us to continue to use print in the future.
How Can You Help?
Although here at Brightsea, we can continue to invest in our processes and equipment to be more eco-friendly, and we have already ensured that all products we produce are FSC certified, we can’t do it alone. We need your help! When surveyed, 55% of people in the UK recognised the FSC logo and although this is a great start, this number needs to be much higher so that we can all contribute to sustainable forest management. You can play your part by only buying FSC certified products such as furniture, paper products, tissues and wooden items. Check for the FSC logo on the item to ensure that it has been certified.
With your help, we can support the FSC initiative and ensure sustainably managed forest for the long term. While you’re here, why not check out our eco-friendly printing services?