Pilotproject

The Estonian Forest Certification Scheme was endorsed in March 2008 by PEFC International. The Estonian Forest Certification Council EMSN did work on the development of a group certification scheme and the necessary documents in cooperation with German and Finnish experts in the course of the last year. Thanks to the fast development, the guidelines where finished by November this year, enabling PEFC certification in Estonia. The Private Forest Union took the initiative to gather a group of forest owners interested to become certified. The group comprises 45 forest owners of differing sizes, with a combined forest area of around 56 000 hectares. The Private Forest Center, is co-financing the project even though the main amount is about to share among the forest owners themselves.

“We are glad to have had such a positive response from private forest owners,” says Kalle Põld, EMSN’s Chairman. The project offers “new possibilities for private forestry in Estonia and strengthens our position on a political level,” continues Ants Varblane, the Managing Director of EPFU. Even though the process will have its own challenges, EMSN and EPFU are optimistic that group certification will be finished by the autumn of 2009.

However, to a large extent, “this also depends upon the national accreditation body,” states Andres Martma, from the certification body AS Metrosert..  EMSN welcomes support and advice from its partners in Germany (PEFC Deutschland) and Finland (FFCS). Cooperation with Germany could be further strengthened when the Estonian Forest Certification Council Secretary General, Christiane Herty, did attend  PEFC Germany’s General Assembly in January. “We are glad to have such a strong and experienced partner on our side,” explains Christiane Herty.

EMSN is planning several seminars and international conferences over the course of the year. These will be held in cooperation with the Private Forest Centre, and EMSN hopes to have the chance to exchange views with national and international experts and give them an overview of Estonian conditions. Furthermore, 2009 will also see a review process and eventual changes of the Estonian standard, which will be modified to accommodate changes in Estonian forestry laws. EMSN hopes to finish this review over the course of the year.

Participants in the pilotproject:

General presentation of EMSN and the pilotproject: https://share.acrobat.com/adc/document.do?docid=8b8723d9-8a0f-46e2-87e3-df0a2aade426

For more information: Christiane Herty, christiane.herty@eramets.ee, 00372-57420675