GOVERNMENT FORESTRY PROGRAM INTERNATIONALLY CERTIFIED

The provincial government forestry program has achieved ISO 14001 certification for its Environmental Management System (EMS), a first in Canada for a province-wide government program, Saskatchewan Environment Minister David Forbes announced in Prince Albert today.

Certification was recommended following a rigorous independent audit of the system, conducted by KPMG Performance Registrar Inc. of Vancouver. ISO 14001 is the internationally recognized standard for certification of such systems. The standard requires regular, independent audits in order to maintain registration.

"Through the EMS, we establish goals and action plans, assign responsibility for achieving them, and document and report on our progress - in other words, we say what we do, we do what we say, and we can prove it," Forbes said. "This international recognition of our excellent system and the hard work it took to put it in place is well deserved."

An ISO 14001-certified EMS will provide a variety of benefits to both the government forestry program and to its forest industry clients. The system provides consistency, improving communication and helping SE staff to work together more efficiently. Certification of a major portion of the government role in their business will help forest companies pursuing their own certification initiatives. As well, the transparency and accountability built in to the system will assist Saskatchewan as it works with other provinces to resolve the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute, making it easier to provide documentation for both legal challenges and ongoing negotiations.

The EMS includes Saskatchewan Environment's forestry program as delivered by Forest Ecosystems Branch and the West Boreal, Shield and East Boreal EcoRegion offices. The system provides a framework for managing the environmental impacts of activities associated with the program.

The EMS for Saskatchewan Environment's forestry program is the first province-wide government program in the country to achieve ISO 14001 certification. However, Saskatchewan is not alone in taking this approach; BC's Ministry of Forests has also registered specific portions of its timber sales program on a regional basis under the standard.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a network of national standards institutes from 148 countries. Based in Switzerland, it is the source of the ISO 14001 environmental standard.

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For More Information, Contact:

Al Willcocks Environment Prince Albert Phone: (306)953-2486 Email: awillcocks@serm.gov.sk.ca Cell: (306)961-7866