Forest Conservation Planning & High-Priority Forests

Background

Forest products companies, environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs), and other organizations commonly engage in priority-setting to conserve biological diversity, although each organization often approaches it differently (e.g., data, methods, criteria, scales, targets). This has contributed to misunderstandings between some ENGOs and land managers about threats to biological diversity, appropriate targets for conservation, cost-effectiveness of various approaches, and other issues.

Identification and protection of high-priority forests is typically a component of ENGO conservation plans and a requirement for participants in sustainable forestry certification programs. Strengthening the objectivity and technical quality of data, tools, and methods available for companies to address issues related to high-priority forests and conservation planning would greatly enhance implementation of sustainable forestry certification programs and better enable member companies to participate in conservation planning activities.

Goal

Provide technical information needed to support industry participation in conservation planning and efforts to manage high-priority forests while also meeting economic objectives.

Examples of Recent or Ongoing Tasks 

• Technical Support for Implementation of Sustainable Forestry Certification Programs – This task allocates NCASI staff time and funding to support a) industry conservation planning activities, and b) continued collaborative efforts to identify, prioritize, and address technical issues related to implementation of provisions within sustainable forestry certification programs related to high-priority forests.