Friday, 15 October 2010 08:51

Latvian Forest Certification System Seeks Re-Endorsement by PEFC

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PEFC Latvia has applied for re-endorsement of its national forest certification system. Stakeholders globally are invited to provide comments and feedback during the consultation period, which is open until 12 December 2010.

"Forest owners in Latvia are keen to gain recognition by PEFC at global level. They take great pride in the new forest management standard. The standard is designed to comply with PEFC International’s Sustainability Benchmarks, while at the same time incorporating the unique tradition and culture of forest management in Lativa,” said Mr. Arnis Muižnieks, Chairman of PEFC Latvia Council.

Latvia is one of the most forested countries in Europe, with forest covering more than 55% of the Latvian territory.

With about half of the Latvian forests owned by the state, there are about 150.000 private forest owners in Latvia, who, together with their families, form a remarkable part of society in country with a population of just over 2 million people. These forest owners, whose holdings average less than ten hectares, are instrumental in maintaining the cultural, historical and environmental heritage of the Latvian countryside.

The forest sector is also of strategic importance to Latvia’s national economy. Of all the companies registered in Latvia, 8% are linked to the forest sector, which employs around 5% of the labour force. The forest sector’s share of Latvia’s gross domestic product is about 5%; in 2009, the value of products turned out by the sector reached 1.2 billion Euros, including an export value of 0.9 billion Euros.

The global public consultation is a required element in the assessment process by PEFC International, complementing the Latvian national public consultation, which was part of the standards development process and held at the beginning of this year.

The Latvian national forest certification system was previously endorsed by PEFC between 2001 and 2008.

Please submit your comments by 12 December 2010 using PEFC's Online Consultation Tool.

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