FSC first for Brazilian forest concession
7 December 2012Tropical hardwood decking and flooring producer LN Guerra is celebrating after its 46,000ha forest concession became the first concession in Brazil to achieve FSC certification.
The company began working on FSC certification for its concession in Para state with The Forest Trust (TFT) – through the EU-funded Timber Trade Action Plan project – back in March following nomination by one of its European buyers, DLH.
The FSC certificate for the concession and sawmill was issued by Rainforest Alliance partner Imaflora. Certified products include decking and flooring products made from massarundaba, ipé, cumaru, angelim and jatoba, for supply into domestic and European markets.
TFT said the certification means the company can provide assurances of the origin of its timber products and that the wood has been harvested in accordance with local laws and regulations.
“The achievement is a testament to LN Guerra’s values towards responsible and sustainable management of its forest resources,” said TFT.
TFT’s work involved helping LN Guerra implement a monitoring system for responsible forest management, training staff and helping to draw up a social management plan to engage closely with nearby communities.
Relationships were also developed with NGOs and local government, which controls the concessions. Larger infrastructure changes included the building of a wharf so logs could be easily transported to the sawmill and onwards for further processing.
