MERRITT, BRITISH COLUMBIA — (Marketwire) — 03/13/12 — David Walkem, Chief of Cooks Ferry Band and President of Stuwix Resources Joint Venture, has been elected to the independent Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.® (SFI®) Board of Directors.
Stuwix Resources is the only First Nations company in the British Columbia Interior to hold a replaceable forest licence, and the 112,000 hectares/277,000 acres it manages are independently certified to the SFI 2010-2014 Standard. Walkem was the first status Indian in British Columbia to become a Registered Professional Forester.
“SFI certification addresses much that is important to First Nation communities – from recognizing indigenous people–s rights and traditional knowledge to environmental values such as wildlife habitat to social and economic values such as stable jobs and markets,” Walkem said today. “I welcome the chance to help shape the SFI program to make this link even stronger.”
Over two million hectares/five million acres of lands held by or managed for indigenous communities are certified to the SFI forest management standard – more than any other third-party certification standard in North America.
“The fact that indigenous land managers are choosing SFI certification shows how well it complements and supports their commitment to conservation and sustainable forest management,” said SFI President and CEO Kathy Abusow. “David Walkem brings a fresh perspective to the board, as well as valuable professional and cultural expertise.”
The three-chamber SFI board represents environmental, economic and social interests equally, and members include representatives of environmental, professional and academic groups, independent loggers, family forest landowners, public officials, labour and the forest products sector.
Walkem joins Craig Blair, President and CEO, Resource Management Service LLC, who was also elected to the SFI board–s economic chamber. They replace Daniel S. Fulton, President and CEO, Weyerhaeuser Company, and Rick R. Holley, President and CEO, Plum Creek Timber Company Ltd.
SFI Inc. is a registered charitable organization responsible for the largest single forest certification standard in the world. The SFI program works with a wide array of partners to improve forest management in Canada and the United States, and sourcing worldwide.
About SFI Inc.
SFI Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization, and is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the internationally recognized Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) program (). Across North America, more than 79 million hectares/195 million acres are certified to the SFI forest management standard, making it the largest single forest standard in the world.
Contacts:
Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.
Rick Cantrell
SFI Vice President and COO
864-653-7224