Impacts of Sustainable Forestry Initiative fiber sourcing on the forestry best management practices and biodiversity conservation in the SE United States

• Published in: Trees, Forests and People (Online) Forests and People (Online), 2023-03, Vol.11, p.100349, Article 100349
• Main Authors: Karnatz, Caroline, Kadam, Parag, Hamilton, Healy, Smyth, Regan, Bawa, Ranjit, Dwivedi, Puneet
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alabama; Biodiversity; biodiversity conservation; compliance; Florida; Forest certification; forest land; forestry; Georgia; landscapes; South Carolina; Southern United States; Sustainable forest management; sustainable forestry; threatened species; water quality; wood
• ISSN: 2666-7193; 2666-7193
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tfp.2022.100349

•BMP rates not different inside, outside, or within certified mills’ sourcing areas.•Habitats biodiversity categories receive similar conservation attention.•SFI FSS certification broadens sustainable forest management in SE United States. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Fiber Sourcing Standard (FSS) aims to extend the reach of sustainable forest management onto uncertified forestlands through the use of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for water quality and other requirements intended to promote multiple conservation outcomes. Conservation of biological diversity is one of the pillars of the SFI FSS, yet no study has examined its effect on biodiversity conservation at the landscape level. We analyzed BMP implementation rates (inside, outside, and within overlapped wood baskets of certified wood-consuming mills) across five levels (very high, high, medium, low, and very low) biodiversity habitats to measure the impact of the SFI FSS in four states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina) in the SE United States. BMP implementation rates were not significantly different inside, outside, or within multiple wood baskets of mills certified to the SFI FSS. We also find that the SFI FSS facilitates the same level of adherence to sustainable forest practices across various levels of biodiversity habitats, regardless of the presence or absence of imperiled species. High compliance rates across the region indicate that all tracts of land, irrespective of biodiversity categories, typically receive the same level of conservation attention. In this context, the SFI FSS is broadening the reach of sustainable forest management beyond certified forests in the SE United States.