FSC® CERTIFICATION and MODERN SLAVERY ACT
Lecours Lumber Co. Limited has obtained Forest Stewardship Council® Certification from the Rainforest Alliance. Lecours Lumber, a privately-owned company, based in Calstock, Ontario, has earned Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) Chain-of-Custody certification from the Rainforest Alliance’s program (FSC® C107217). This certification will open up a new supply of lumber from responsibly managed forests to help meet the growing demand of green building projects in both Canada and the United States.
“We are very proud to have received certification from this highly recognized certification body.” says General Manager Jules Fournier. “FSC certification will widen the scope of our business in the market place.” he added.
The FSC is the global standard-setter in responsible forest management. Chain-of-Custody certification guarantees that wood that comes from certified, responsibly managed forestlands is tracked throughout the supply chain, from the forest to the consumer. Conscientious consumers can look for the FSC logo on wood products to know they are supporting forest management that protects biodiversity and supports local communities.
Lecours Lumber Co. Limited is a softwood lumber producer in both boards and dimension cut size lumber. Their product is mostly used in the commodity and construction market.
Alexandre Boursier, Regional Manager of the Rainforest Alliance in Canada says: "This CoC certificate is good news not only for the forest Lecours Lumber sources from, but also for First Nations whose traditional territory the wood will be sourced from, and for the forest workers and mill workers of the Hearst region. The wood processed at Lecours Lumber is harvested following a plan that protects First Nations rights and resources, and Lecours Lumber is now able market its wood as FSC certified, a useful marketing tool at a time when the lumber industry is struggling. Again, this is good news for the workers and their families."
FSC certification ensures that forestry operations meet a set of environmental, social and economic criteria covering compliance with laws and international treaties, land-use and indigenous peoples’ rights, community relations, biodiversity conservation and maintenance of high conservation value forests.
The North American area of FSC-certified forestlands has grown to over 55 million hectares over the years with a total global area of over 140 million hectares. This growth has opened up a burgeoning supply of certified wood products including lumber, paper, furniture and decking from responsibly managed forests. Increasing consumer interest in FSC-certified products ensures that forest operations have economic incentives to manage their lands responsibly.
The Rainforest Alliance, an international nonprofit conservation organization, is the world’s leading certifier of forestlands to FSC standards. To date, the organization has certified 63 million hectares of forestland worldwide. The Rainforest Alliance works with businesses in making more responsible choices by using market forces to protect our natural resources and support workers and local communities.
The Rainforest Alliance works with people whose livelihoods depend on the land, helping them transform the way they grow food, harvest wood and host travelers. From large multinational corporations to small, community-based cooperatives, businesses and consumers worldwide are involved in the Rainforest Alliance’s efforts to bring responsibly produced goods and services to a global marketplace where the demand for sustainability is growing steadily. For more information, visit http://www.rainforestalliance.org. For media queries, contact Anna Clark at aclark@ra.org or 646-452-1939.
