Our History
Early 1990s
In the 1980s, the public and organized environmental interest groups had become increasingly concerned about the effect forest products companies, particularly the large industrialized forest-products companies in the U.S., were having on the environment. In response, the US forest products industry launched a series of initiatives in the early 1990s to improve transparency and sustainability.
In October 1990, the American Forest Council, an education and outreach organization that supplemented the lobbying activities of the American Paper Institute and the National Forest Products Association, held a “Future of Forestry Conference” to examine public concerns regarding management of private forests. A task force was formed to develop specific recommendations for improving forestry practices across the forest products industry. At the same time, the American Paper Institute (API) was crafting a set of environmental, health, and safety principles for pulp and paper manufacturing. These efforts eventually converged and on May 12, 1992, API adopted a set of 10 Forest Management Principles, drawing influence from global sustainability efforts such as the 1987 Brundtland Report (“Our Common Future”) and the 1992 Earth Summit Principles of Forest Management. The new API principles and their required adoption by all API members, laid the foundation.
API merged with the National Forest Products Association (NFPA) in 1993 to form the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), and launched a nationwide, collaborative effort with industry leaders, foresters, and stakeholders to develop and refine a more comprehensive program – the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), aimed at visibly improving forest practices and ensuring long-term sustainability on the ground.
1995
The American Forest & Paper Association’s 425 members, at the time, accounted for approximately 95% of the paper production, 65% of the solid wood production, and 90% of the industrial forestlands in the United States. The new SFI Program was officially rolled out on January 1, 1995. The heart of the program was the “Sustainable Forestry Principles and Implementation Guidelines” that represented, in writing, the industry’s commitment to fundamentally improve. The guidelines established clear objectives and performance measures by which the public itself could evaluate whether AF&PA members were meeting their commitments. Click on the image above to view the original guidelines.
The Principles and Guidelines were introduced to members as “…working documents, open to occasional revision and modification as we improve our understanding of both forest management and program implementation”
Compliance with the SFI guidelines became a condition of continued membership in AF&PA. As a testament to their commitment the SFI program, the Association suspended the membership of 17 non-compliant companies in 1996. At the time, AF&PA spokesman Luke Popovich stated “If this were simply a PR gimmick, we wouldn’t be losing members over it.”
1995
AF&PA Members began to form “State Implementation Committees” made up of diverse stakeholders that could provide a more locally focused approach for implementing the SFI Program across a wide variety of forest types and regional conditions in the United States. The Committees were made up of volunteers that carried out the work of SFI in addition to their regular duties. By involving a variety of local stakeholders and experts, the Implementation Committees helped ensure that the SFI program was both rigorous and adaptable to different contexts. This grassroots network of Committees, unique to SFI among existing forest certification systems, allowed the program to be more responsive to local concerns and build greater trust with stakeholders by fostering collaboration between groups with differing perspectives and opinions on managed forests. Today, nearly 1,000 people comprise the 35 SFI Implementation Committees that operate across the United States and Canada.
1995
1996
Pittsburgh, PA hosted the very first meeting of the SFI Implementation Committees on August 6-7. Over 60 representatives from State implementation Committees, industry, associations, the Expert Review Panel, the SFI Implementation Task Force, and the Tree Farm Program gathered for the two days to learn from each other and assess state-level progress of implementing the new SFI guidelines.
In addition to this meeting, many early SFI planning and strategy meetings were held at Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford, PA.
1996
Pennsylvania became the first Implementation Committee in the country to hire a full-time staff member to coordinate its operations and programming when Ken Manno was brought on as the Program Manager in September of 1996. Shortly after, an office was established in State College. Ken coordinated the massive undertaking of establishing the program in Pennsylvania from scratch and gaining support among numerous stakeholders.
1996
The Pennsylvania General Assembly, both the Senate and the House, became the first state legislature in the nation to pass resolutions endorsing the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, advocating for its support. Click on the images above to read the resolutions.
1997
From the very beginning, the SFI guidelines required that AF&PA members fully commit to logger education programs. In Pennsylvania, the Implementation Committee felt that the most significant impact on forest sustainability was timber harvesting. Data indicated that only about 20% of harvesting decisions involved foresters working with landowners, meaning that 80% of harvesting decisions were being made with the advice of loggers. Consequently, the first focus of the Committee was on developing basic training programs for loggers. A great deal of effort was invested into developing the Pennsylvania SFI Professional Timber Harvester Training Program. Training began in full force in 1997, after courses were developed and pilot tested. In the early years, the training program was very fluid as it continually grew and evolved. Five programs were initially developed and included 8-hour courses in Logging Safety, Environmental Logging, Advanced Environmental Logging and 4-hour courses in First Aid and Truck Safety. Continuing Education courses were later included to further participants’ proficiency in specific areas and to keep them involved in the program.
2000
The SFI program expanded into Canada and established an Implementation Committee in British Columbia. “State Implementation Committees” were renamed “SFI Implementation Committees” in recognition of the newly included Province.
2000
In a final rulemaking for updating Chapter 102 of the Pennsylvania Code (related to earth disturbing activities and Best Management Practices), the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) stated “DEP has been working with several groups of stakeholder in addressing the use of BMPs for timber harvesting and road maintenance activities. The Department supports the non-regulatory approaches of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative…in promoting, educating and training persons conducting these activities to use BMP techniques and standards to minimize accelerated erosion and thereby enhance the quality of this Commonwealth’s waters.”
2001
The Pennsylvania SFI Implementation Committee was recognized for its outstanding work in implementing the SFI Program and awarded the 3rd Annual SFI Implementation Committee Achievement Award by SFI Inc. Pennsylvania received the annual award for its significant strides in outreach efforts with policymakers and the forestry community; for implementation of a comprehensive communications program; for greatly expanding the number of affiliations of companies/organizations directly involved in the program; and for fostering new partnerships.
2002
SFI Inc. launched the SFI 2002-2004 Standard. It introduced, among other things, measures to protect forests with exceptional conservation value, and provisions to help prevent illegal logging and to promote the conservation of biodiversity hotspots and major wilderness areas.
2005
SFI Inc. launched the SFI 2005-2009 Standard. It included new provisions to conserve old-growth forests; to strengthen fiber sourcing from jurisdictions outside of North America and supply chain monitoring; and to address invasive exotic species. It introduced new performance measures and indicators related to the certification of public forestlands, including requirements to confer with affected indigenous peoples.
2007
2009
Nate Fice was hired as the second Program Manager for the Pennsylvania SFI Implementation Committee. In the midst of The Great Recession, Nate quickly streamlined the program’s administrative operations to match the Committee’s declining financial environment and reduced staff capacity while maintaining the integrity and high level of service delivered by the program. Nate’s tremendous efforts modernized the program and incorporated the use of technology. He also increased emphasis on safety and professionalism in the PA SFI Professional Timber Harvester Training program by integrating Game of Logging training into the core requirements.
2010
SFI Inc. launched the new SFI 2010-2014 Standard, the result of an extensive 18-month transparent review process that considered public input, scientific and economic factors, and conflicting demands. The SFI 2010-2014 Standard was based on 14 core principles that promote sustainable forest management, including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value. It had five more principles than the SFI 2005-2009 Standard, including separate principles for protection of special sites, biodiversity, aesthetics and recreation, and new principles for responsible procurement practices in North America, avoidance of controversial sources offshore, research, training and education, and public involvement.
2012
Chuck Coup became the third Program Manager for the Pennsylvania SFI Implementation Committee. Chuck continued to streamline administrative processes and improve program accessibility and reach by developing a user-friendly website, increasing the use of electronic communications and learning systems, serving as a technical expert on numerous statewide policies and initiatives aimed at driving sustainable forestry forward in Pennsylvania, expanding partnerships and support, and improving training program administration and recordkeeping.
2015
SFI Inc. launched its 2015-2019 Standard in a new structure comprising three standalone standards dealing with forest management, fiber-sourcing, and chain of custody. The new Forest Management Standard promoted sustainable forestry practices that protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species-at-risk, and forests with exceptional conservation value. The Fiber-sourcing Standard promoted responsible forestry practices for forests that are not certified by directing how SFI program participants procure wood from non-certified land. These requirements included measures to broaden the conservation of biodiversity, use forestry best management practices to protect water quality, provide outreach to landowners, and utilize the services of trained forest management and harvesting professionals. The Chain of Custody Standard tracked the percentage of fiber from certified forests, certified sourcing, and recycled content through production and manufacturing to the end product.
2015
SFI and the Pennsylvania SFI Implementation Committee celebrated their 20th anniversary. SFI started as an industry-led initiative to promote sustainable forestry practices. Over the previous two decades, it evolved into an internationally endorsed forest certification program. Similarly, those who use the SFI Standards grew from just industry users to a diverse group including conservation organizations, community groups, the public sector, universities, indigenous peoples, and many more. By this point SFI was a fully independent, multi-stakeholder organization widely regarded as a leader in promoting responsible forestry, conservation and sustainable communities.
2015
To bring added recognition to the 20th anniversary, SFI successfully organized an effort to set a new Guinness World Record, simultaneously planting 202,935 trees in one hour across multiple locations in the United States and Canada with 29 teams of 25-100 people. Pennsylvania had two teams that planted 7,323 trees during the hour-long event.
2015
The Pennsylvania SFI Implementation Committee was presented with the 17th annual SFI Implementation Committee Achievement Award. Pennsylvania was selected for this award primarily for the Committee’s innovative work in adapting the Professional Timber Harvester Training program into an entry-level program for aspiring logging or forest industry workers and incorporating it into the curriculum of high school programs in Pennsylvania.
2016
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) created a pathway for forest certified to SFI to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits through a new pilot Alternative Compliance Plath (ACP) credit designed to further advance responsible forest management and help rid buildings of illegal wood by promoting the use of wood that is verified to be legal. Despite years of advocacy, this was the first time that USGBC recognized SFI since the LEED program was launched in 1998.
2019
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Bureau of Forestry certified all 2.2 million acres of State Forests in Pennsylvania to the SFI Forest Management Standard.
2022
SFI Inc. launched its new SFI 2022 Standards and Rules after a two-year revision process. Major innovative improvements in the SFI Standards were made to address key sustainability challenges. The new standards proactively address climate change, reduce the impact of wildfires and promote the positive benefits of prescribed fire, and recognize Indigenous peoples’ rights.
2023
The Pennsylvania Game Commission entered into a 3-year cooperative agreement with the Pennsylvania SFI Implementation Committee to support the Implementation Committee’s valuable educational outreach to the professional loggers that are integral to completing forest habitat management work on State Game Lands, and its outreach to Pennsylvania citizens that utilize PGC forest lands or who own private forest lands that host critical wildlife habitat.
2024
The Pennsylvania SFI Implementation Committee was presented with the 26th annual SFI Implementation Committee Achievement Award. Pennsylvania was selected to receive this award for effectively leveraging technical knowledge and outreach platforms to increase the uptake of sustainable forest management practices and for its leadership in providing expert technical guidance that has profoundly influenced sustainable forestry practices across the state and throughout the SFI network.
2025
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Pennsylvania SFI Implementation Committee is celebrating its 30th anniversary, marking three decades of remarkable progress in advancing sustainable forest management across North America.
