Standard and Principles

The SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard promotes sustainable forestry based on 13 Principles, 17 Objectives, 41 Performance Measures and 114 Indicators. These requirements include measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk and Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value. 

Principle No. 1 is the defining element of the SFI program and Standard, and the other eight principles flow from that statement:

1. Sustainable Forestry—To practice sustainable forestry to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; practicing a land stewardship ethic that integrates reforestation and the growing and harvesting of trees for useful products with the conservation of soil, air and water quality, biological diversity, wildlife and aquatic habitat, recreation and aesthetics.

2. Forest Productivity and Health—To provide for regeneration after harvest and maintain the productive capacity of the forest land base, and to protect and maintain long-term forest health and soil productivity.

3. Protection of Water Resources—To protect water bodies and riparian zones, and to conform with best management practices to protect water quality.

4. Protection of Biological Diversity—To manage forests in ways that protect and promote biological diversity, including animal and plant species, wildlife habitats, and ecological or natural community types.

5. Aesthetics and Recreation—To manage the visual impacts of forest operations, and to provide recreational opportunities for the public.

6. Protection of Special Sites—To manage forests and lands of special significance (ecologically, geologically or culturally important) in a manner that protects their integrity and takes into account their unique qualities.

7. Legal Compliance—To comply with applicable federal, provincial, state, and local forestry and related environmental laws, statutes, and regulations.

8. Research—To support advances in sustainable forest management through forestry research, science and technology.

9. Training and Education—To improve the practice of sustainable forestry through training and education programs.

10. Community Involvement and Social Responsibility, and Respect for Indigenous Rights —To broaden the practice of sustainable forestry on public lands through community involvement.

11. Transparency—To broaden the understanding of forest certification to the SFI 2010-2014 Standard by documenting certification audits and making the findings publicly available.

12. Continual Improvement—To continually improve the practice of forest management, and to monitor, measure and report performance in achieving the commitment to sustainable forestry.

13. Responsible Fiber Sourcing - To use and promote sustainable forestry across a diversity of ownership and management types in the United States and Canada that is both scientifically credible and socially, environmentally, and economically responsible and to avoid sourcing from controversial sources both domestically and internationally.

The 2022 Forest Management Standard

SFI 2022 Standards and Rules – full package

Key Performance Measures and Objectives