The American Tree Farm System, a program of the American Forest Foundation, announced on July 4 that 480,000 acres of Mississippi “Section 16” school trust forestlands have been certified for their sustainable management practices. An innovative pilot project involving a partnership between the Mississippi Forest Commission and the ATFS made possible the certification of so many new acres. With the increasing global demand for certified timber, the new certification makes Mississippi a strong competitor.
A “Section” is a one-square-mile area of state owned land, every 16th section of which has been set aside by Mississippi’s legislature to provide supplemental income to the state’s school system. These “Section 16” lands are managed by local school boards. The new certification will give Mississippi schools access to timber markets not available to them before, and will help the state keep timber related jobs in the highly competitive global market that sees increasing demands for certified wood.
“This project marks the first time that a significant amount of public land has been certified by the ATFS,” says Bob Simpson, Senior Vice President of Forestry at AFF. “Certification gives Mississippi new bragging rights—they are telling the world that they’re managing their forestland in a way that has been internationally recognized as sustainable and credible. Certification assures that the forests behind the Tree Farm sign are being cared for in a manner that’s sustainable over the long term. Certified wood keeps the forest and paper industry strong, competitive and viable, not just in Mississippi, but globally.”
The completion of the pilot project in Mississippi, and three others in Alabama, Louisiana and Maine, mark the beginning of the AFTS plans to offer this same program to interested companies and state foresters across the U.S. “ATFS is working aggressively to certify more public lands,” comments Simpson, “and we hope Mississippi’s success will inspire other states to take the step of seeking certification.”