FSC Stories from around the world
Community Benefits from Vision of Value and Sustainability
Ixtlán de Juárez is located in the middle of the Sierra Madre, a
region recognized as a cradle of men who can move from
adversity to the highest levels of success. Like its native son,
Benito Juárez, one of Mexico’s most progressive presidents, Ixtlán
de Juárez has itself become a very progressive community, and a
shining example of responsible forest management and use of forest
resources according to FSC Principles and Criteria.
In September, 2005, as a demonstration that social development
can be achievend through responsible use of forests resources,
384 comuneros (community land owners) started a school furniture
factory to meet the demand for chairs and desk for schools in
Oaxaca, Mexico – furniture made with FSC-certified wood.
The Fábrica de Muebles de la Unidad Comunal Forestal Agropecuaria y de Servicios (UCFAS) –
Furniture Factory of Forest and Agricultural Community and Services Unit – is possibly the only one of its
type in Latin America. It has the latest technology and only processes FSC-certified timber. It is also
largely self-funded. Of the total 20 million pesos (over one million USD) required to bring the factory to
life, some 75 percent came from the community itself.
Students in Oaxaca will soon start to use the factory’s FSC-certified products in their schools. This
process was possible after long negotiations with the Oaxacan government, which last year, approved a
procurement policy to buy school furniture from FSC certified forests.
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