NGOs to leave Living Forest Council

01.07.2010

The two Norwegian environmental organisations WWF-Norway and Sabima have chosen to leave the Living Forest Council because of disagreement with the forest owner organisations concerning the LF standard for afforestation/reforestation.

In Norway the standard setting for PEFC certification has been carried out through Living Forest, as described in the Norwegian application for re-endorsement of the Norwegian PEFC scheme. The LF Council has recently been working with an audit of requirement no 18 in the LF Standard concerning afforestation and change of tree species.

However, the two NGOs have chosen to break the negotiations after making demands that the forest owner organisations could not accept. They have also made it clear that they no longer will support the LF Standard and that there is no longer an existing agreement concerning the LF Standard.

As a result of this the requirement no 18 in the LF Standard will not be changed according to the 2006 audit. The Norwegian application for re-endorsement is based on this audit.