The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) organizational member, has announced that wood certified under its SFI standard will be used to construct the platform that will host the January 2013 inauguration of President Barack Obama to a second term in office. The certified wood is being provided by Sierra Pacific Industries, the second largest lumber producer in the U.S., and comes from Washington State.
In 2007, ANSI partnered with SFI to launch an accreditation service supporting forest management practices by authenticating the traceability of wood products. Under that initiative, ANSI accredits bodies that audit the suppliers of wood product in accordance with the chain-of-custody (CoC) certification requirements developed and maintained by SFI and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) Systems. The SFI standard is the world's largest single forest certification standard, with more than 197 million certified acres across North America. The standard promotes sustainable forest management, with a focus on biodiversity, water quality, and wildlife habitat, among other areas of concern.
"I am delighted that wood certified to the SFI Standard is being used in the construction of the 2013 Presidential Inauguration platform," said Kathy Abusow, president and CEO of SFI. "Wood certified to the SFI Standard highlights the contributions of responsibly managed American forests during one of the most important ceremonies in the world."
For more information about ANSI's accreditation programs, visit www.ansi.org/accreditation.