Lithuania state-forests now 100% FSC-certified - April 22nd, 2005

The verdict on the Lithuania state-owned forest operations is now complete. In a landmark certification process carried out by the FSC-accredited certification body, SmartWood, a programme of the Rainforest Alliance, some 14 state forest enterprises (SFEs) have been awarded FSC forest management certification, bringing the total certified forest area in the country to one million hectares.

Comments Benjaminas Sakalauskas, Director General of General Forest Enterprise (GFE), “We have successfully completed FSC forest management certification of all Lithuanian state-owned forest operations. We consider the certification as a valid proof of our nation’s responsible state forestry: the rational use of forest resources that is in compliance with international principles of stable and well-balanced forest management. We are pleased to have been highly evaluated on our forestry standards by a team of highly skilled international forest experts.”

Forestland in Lithuania covers 2 million ha, or aproximately 31% of the country’s land area. State forests account for nearly half of the country’s forest area. The Lithuanian state forests are presently managed by 42 individual SFEs which come under the supervision of General Forest Enterprise (GFE). The average size of the forest area managed by an SFE is 24,000 ha. Field assessment of 40 SFEs was conducted by NEPCon - representative of the SmartWood Programme in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and Russia.

“This is an impressive achievement by a State Forest Management system. Lithuania has set a good precedence for forest management practices in the Baltic Region and Europe in general. The process has been challenging, the results impressive. I extend my congratulations”, says Richard Donovan, SmartWood’s Director.

The FSC certification process of Lithuania’s state forests began with the certification of two state forests in 2001, first performed by FSC-accredited certification body, SGS Qualifor. The scale of the certification process expanded towards end 2002, when NEPCon was contracted by 16 SFEs to proceed with the FSC certification process. In May 2003, the first of the 40 SFEs - Druskininkai - was a proud to recipient of the FSC certificate, following by the certification of other SFEs. Further contracts were signed with FSC-accredited certification bodies, leading to the final certification of the last SFE in Lithuania this April.

Source: NEPCon

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