March 17, 2017, St Patrick’s Day was also the annual SFI®AIV Legislative Breakfast in the Vermont Statehouse Cafeteria. Just over 25 members of the forest products industry arrived to meet and greet Legislators and share their thoughts and concerns about what is going on in Vermont’s working forest and the industry. Close to a hundred members of the Vermont House and Senate stopped by to say hello and listen to what is on our minds. Members of the forest products industry included logging contractors, sawmill and papermill owners and managers, foresters and landowners.
After spending the morning in the Statehouse, SFI held a stakeholder roundtable luncheon meeting at AIV’s conference room. Bill Driscoll of AIV and Legislative and Administration leaders joined us to discuss legislative issues currently under consideration. Leaders included Rep. William Botzow, Chair of the House Committee on Commerce, Deputy Commissioner Sam Lincoln of Forests, Parks and Recreation to discuss workers’ compensation and unemployment Insurance issues.
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is a sustainability leader that stands for future forests. SFI® is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting forest sustainability and supporting the links between sustainable forests and communities through carefully targeted research, direct leadership of critical initiatives, and partnerships that effectively contribute to multiple conservation objectives. Nationwide, Forests certified to the SFI Forest Management Standard cover more than 285 million acres/115 million hectares. Millions more acres benefit from the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard. SFI’s Forest Management, Fiber Sourcing and Chain of Custody Standards work to ensure the health and future of forests. Through application of these certification standards, SFI’s on-product labels help consumers make responsible purchasing decisions. SFI Inc. is governed by an independent three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally. Learn more at sfiprogram.org.
SFI Vermont works closely with others involved in the forestry sector, trade associations, educational institutions, safety program leaders, State and Federal Government Officials and lawmakers.
We wish to extend a big thank you to our supporters and sponsors of this breakfast:
SFI Vermont Participating Members
Associated Industries of Vermont
Durgin & Crowell Lumber
International Paper Company
Catalyst Paper
Weyerhaeuser
The A. Johnson Co.
Timbervest, LLC
Vermont Forest Products Association
Vermont Forestry Foundation
Vermont Tree Farm
Vermont Woodlands Association
Wagner Forest Management