Who Runs SFI?
SFI Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization, and is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the internationally recognized Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) program (www.sfiprogram.org). Across North America, more than 175 million acres/70 million hectares are certified to the SFI® forest management standard, making it the largest single standard in the world. SFI chain of custody certification tells buyers how much certified, responsibly sourced and/or recycled content is in a product. The SFI program’s unique fiber sourcing requirements promote responsible forest management on all suppliers’ lands. SFI Inc. is governed by a three chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally.
In Maine, as in many states around the country, the Maine SFI Program is run by a State Implementation Committee (SIC) comprised of representatives from various stakeholder groups, including the Maine Forest Service, an array of associations with interests in forest management and forest sustainability, and SFI members.
The Maine SIC works at the local level to promote the SFI Standard as a means to broaden the practice of sustainable forestry and ensure on-the-ground progress. These resource professionals volunteer a significant amount of time to assure that national SFI program objectives are consistently implemented and adapted to region-specific needs.