The Irish Forest Certification Standard is seeking endorsement by PEFC for the first time, and interested parties from around the world are encouraged to participate in the global public consultation, an important element of the independent assessment process, by 22 September 2011.

"We're pleased to be able to present the Irish Forest Certification Standard for assessment to PEFC International," said William Merivale, Secretary General of PEFC Ireland. "Irish forests have never been certified to a nationally approved forest certification standard that was developed in multi-stakeholder, participatory processes, so this standard is a major step forward for the credibility of forest certification in Ireland."

The PEFC Irish Forest Certification Standard was prepared during an intensive 21-month period in an inclusive and transparent process involving a balanced representation from economic, social and environmental interests with knowledge of the Irish forestry sector.

It has also been designed to comply with existing Irish and European forest management guidelines and legislation, including the Pan-European Operational Level Guidelines for Sustainable Forest Management agreed at the third Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe in Lisbon in 1998. The standard was subject to national public consultation and pilot-testing.

Forestry is of increasing importance in Ireland. At the turn of the 20th century, Ireland's forests covered only 1% of the country's surface area, however in just over 100 years there has been a tenfold increase, and now extends to almost 11%. Of this, 55% is owned by the State, and 45% by private forest owners. The wider forest industry now employs about 16,000 people and accounts for approximately 1% of GDP.

"Given the increasing demand for PEFC-certified timber, we are eager to be able to provide forest owners and managers with the option to obtain PEFC certification for their sustainable management practices," said Mr. Merivale.

The Irish Forest Certification Standard is now being independently assessed for compliance with PEFC International's Sustainability Benchmarks. The global public consultation is part of the assessment process, providing stakeholders worldwide with the opportunity to comment on the standard.