The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) announced five conservation grants today. SFI is bringing together a diverse range of people from 37 organizations to support research that directly influences future forests. This year’s grants focus on the connection between sustainable supply chains and natural resource issues we all care about – like carbon storage, wildlife habitat, species at risk and forests with exceptional conservation value.
These organizations include leading conservation groups like NatureServe, GreenBlue, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Manomet, the American Bird Conservancy and the Florida Natural Areas Inventory. They are collaborating with government officials from Georgia, Saskatchewan and the Canadian Forest Service, SFI Program Participants, the Forest Products Association of Canada as well as the University of Alberta, UBC and UniversitƩ Laval.
The grants were awarded through SFI’s Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program, which is dedicated to improving conservation of forests and strengthening the communities that depend on them. These projects provide the science-based information needed by resource professionals to improve forest management. The projects also inform the larger discussion around the positive conservation impact of responsible forest management and its importance in supply chain sustainability.
“I’m thrilled to see the breadth of collaboration of so many groups,” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc. “Critical issues like biodiversity and carbon storage are best tackled when we pool our collective knowledge and resources. These grants are an example of how the SFI community is growing and collaborating to quantify the conservation impact of certified forests.”
- The Boreal Avian Modelling Project, led by the University of Alberta, has the potential to help billions of birds by developing models that will help land managers understand and manage the breeding habitats for birds like the Canada warbler, olive-sided flycatcher and the pine siskin.
- The Marketplace Sustainability Goals Program, led by GreenBlue,is designed to increase awareness in the North American marketplace about responsible forest management and how the responsible sourcing of forest products advances sustainability goals shared by brand owners, conservationists and the public.
- The Canadian Forest Carbon Assessment, led by the Saskatchewan Research Council, is building a roadmap to conduct a comprehensive carbon-stock assessment for well-managed forests, including those certified to SFI. This project will quantify carbon storage in different forest ecosystems using national and regional data and examine forest management practices that influence carbon stocks.
- The Forest Climate Resiliency Project, led by Manomet, will document the climate resiliency benefits provided by forests certified to SFI by establishing metrics for growth rates and forest health in sustainably managed forests. Results will help ensure forest health in a changing climate.
- The Conservation Values of Forests Project, led by NatureServe, will help simplify and consolidate the biodiversity-related conservation value of forests certified to SFI, ultimately helping stakeholders to understand and communicate conservation outcomes. Findings will also help forest managers improve wildlife habitat across large landscapes