The Sustainable Forestry InitiativeŽ (SFI) program is a comprehensive system of principles, objectives, and performance measures developed by professional foresters, conservationists and scientists, among others that combines the perpetual growing and harvesting of trees with the long-term protection of wildlife, plants, soil and water quality. There are currently over 136 million acres of forestland in North America enrolled in the SFIŽ program, making it among the world's largest sustainable forestry programs.

Keeping our forests healthy is important. Healthy forests will continue to provide the wood and paper products that are vital to all of us while also ensuring that we have forests and wildlife for future generations of Americans. To ensure forests are protected, the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) developed the SFI program to document the commitment of their members and the program's licensees keep our forests healthy and practice the highest level of sustainable forestry.

The SFI program was adopted by AF&PA in 1994, and as a testament to the association's strong commitment to the goal of sustainable forestry, participation in the SFI program is a condition of membership for AF&PA. Since 1994, AF&PA has asked 17 members to leave the association for failing to meet the SFI Standard.

The SFI Program is overseen by the Sustainable Forestry Board (SFB), an independent 501(c)3 organization, which is responsible for maintaining and enhancing the SFI Standard and verification procedures. The SFB has 15 members, two-thirds of which come from a wide range of non-industry interests, including: environmental/conservation organizations; public officials (state and/or federal agencies); professional/academic groups; logging professional; non-industrial landowners. The remaining five representatives on the SFB consist of AF&PA members

Planting Trees for Healthy Forests

Reforestation is one key to sustainable forestry and maintaining healthy forestlands. Under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program, companies plant or grow more trees than are harvested each year. In fact, over one million acres are reforested each year under the SFI program. Thanks to the hard work of the men and women working in our forests, we now have more forestland today than we did on the very first Earth Day in 1970.

Everybody Benefits from Sustainable Forestry

Simply stated, sustainable forestry is working with nature to ensure the future of the nation's forests for generations to come. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative program is based on the premise that responsible environmental practices and sound business practices can be integrated to the benefit of landowners, shareholders, customers and the people they serve.

The SFI program provides a means for foresters, landowners, loggers and wood and paper producers to satisfy the growing demand of the American people for environmental responsibility while still being able to produce -at an affordable price - the forest products upon which people have come to rely.

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