Facts and fiction in Al-Jazeera's "Latvia's Pulp Fiction"
Does FSC allow logging practices that lead to widespread deforestation and threaten unique natural values? This is the core message of a TV program entitled "Latvia's Pulp Fiction" produced by Al-Jazeera.
NEPCon has released a statement to clarify the facts among some misleading information presented in the program.
"Latvia's Pulp Fiction" links FSC-certified timber products imported to the UK from Latvia with poor forestry practices in Latvia's state forests, managed by the state logging company JSC Latvijas Valsts mezi (LVM).
Until 17 July 2010, LVM held an FSC certificate covering 1.4 million hectares of Latvian state forest. The certificate was issued by the Rainforest Alliance, based on NEPCon’s auditing services. After a follow-up audit conducted by NEPCon last year had revealed the persistence of major conformances identified during previous audits, the certificate was suspended by the Rainforest Alliance.
The program documents how deforestation due to high logging rates in Latvia's state forests is taking a heavy toll on Latvia's unique natural values. "It is correct that the logging rates in the Latvian state forests are very high. That was one of the key reasons for suspending the certificate," says CEO of NEPCon Peter Feilberg. "Unfortunately, the program incorrectly conveys that LVM was reissued its certificate after just two days. On the contrary, the certificate remains suspended until this day."
This misrepresentation serves to discredit the FSC system on an unfair basis, and it is not known why Al-Jazeera has portrayed the situation in this misleading way. However, LVM did not make it easy for the journalists to navigate through the issue: in violation of the certification requirements, LVM publicly announced it was awarded FSC Controlled Wood certification just after its FSC forest management certificate was suspended.
