FSC contractor cert Latvia
The field test of a new model for the FSC certification of smallholders has been concluded with good results: A group of small private forest operations are now FSC certified, based on their use of certified contractors.
And Stora Enso Eesti AS is the holder of the first SmartLogging certificate issued to a forest contractor in Europe, documenting that all forest contractor activities carried out by the company are in compliance with relevant FSC requirements.
The combination of using certified contractors and group certification represents a new approach to FSC smallholder certification that may lead to a breakthrough for the FSC certification of small private forests in Europe. Currently, most private forest in Europe - about half of the European forest territory - is not certified, mainly because of economic and technical barriers.
Small certificate - big perspective
Stora Enso Eesti AS forest owners group so far only comprises 14 properties with a total of 242 hectares. The small size of the group was chosen as appropriate for the pilot testing of the concept.
However, Stora Enso will offer itself as group manager to all other suppliers in the private sector In the Baltic countries, about 60% of the forest area is privately owned. Estonian private forest ownership is very fragmented, and private forest holdings average 10 hectares.
One of the largest roundwood trading companies in Estonia.
1. Instruction for preservation of seed trees and biodiversity trees
2. SEE viewpoints related to bird nesting period
3. Instruction for key habitat and other protection values detection during the purchase of standing stock
4. Instruction for avoiding, preventing and liquidation of contamination during the harvesting operations
5. Instruction for preservation of edge buffer zones (ecotones)
6. Instruction for purchase manager and foresters about preparation and use of technological map and hand-over act
7. Instruction for using hand-over act
The scope of the SmartLogger certificate covers all logging operations of Stora Enso Eesti AS (SEE) within Estonia. SEE is using also sub-contractors for harvesting operations; however SEE is monitoring their compliance and is responsible in all cases for compliance with the standard requirements.
The scope covers the forest management activities of all the forest areas of the group members. All group members are SLIMF forest owners with forest area of less than 50 ha. The forest holdings are located mainly in two parts of Estonia: Saaremaa and Virumaa.
A broad range of stakeholders have been involved in the pilot test and its communication. When the public consultation process has been completed, the Rainforest Alliance is expected to adopt the standard as its interim SmartWood standard for forest holdings less than 30 ha in Estonia
Stora Enso uses contractors for about two thirds of all operations. In order to ensure that all subcontractors also comply with the standard, NEPCon carried out additional interviews and field visits involving subcontractors after the main evaluation had been carried out.
Stora Enso Eesti (SEE) is owned by international Stora Enso Corporation and has wood supply division (earlier separate legal entity Stora Enso Mets) and production division (earlier legal entity Stora Enso Timber) in Estonia. The wood supply division is responsible for the wood raw material supply to Stora Enso’s production units, mainly in Europe. This assessment focused on the wood supply division, since the timber production division is not related to forestry or logging operations.
SEE itself does not own any forest land in Estonia, however wood is most often purchased as standing stock from private forest owners. In such cases SEE is responsible for organizing the felling and transport and takes ownership of the material already when the wood is still growing in forest. From ca 400 000 m3 of wood purchased yearly as standing stock approximately 60% is harvested by sub-contractors. Owners can also choose to include the service of forest regeneration in the standing stock sales contract. In such cases SEE is also responsible for organizing proper regeneration of the forest site. Being one of the largest roundwood traders in Estonia, SEE has professional staff and long term experience in forestry.
The procurement area of SEE covers practically all mainland Estonia as well as the largest islands (Saaremaa and Hiiumaa). About 80 people are employed; purchase in carried out by 6 purchase managers all over the country. These specialists are responsible for communication with private owner and making a purchase contract. Final felling works are conducted mainly using harvester, but some thinning are done by chain saw as well.
