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SmartStep: A Path toward Responsible Forest Management and Forest Stewardship Council/Rainforest Alliance Certification

	Read a detailed program description View list of current SmartStep participants

To provide more opportunities and incentives for forest management operations to pursue Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, the Rainforest Alliance has developed an innovative service called SmartStep. With SmartStep, forest management operations can take a logical path to achieving FSC certification while gaining access to potential market benefits along the way. Rainforest Alliance auditors identify areas in which a forest management operation needs to improve social, economic and environmental performance. The company then produces an action plan with clearly defined targets. If we approve the action plan, companies can then enroll in SmartStep. The operation is then audited for up to five years on its progress toward meeting the targets and ultimately achieving FSC certification.

A founder of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization respected worldwide for its forward-thinking forestry program and its innovative work in agriculture, climate and tourism. With growing consumer demand for sustainably harvested wood and responsibly produced wood products, hundreds of forestry companies around the world are enjoying the benefits of FSC/Rainforest Alliance certification. Certification conserves resources, improves the forest industry's image and helps to foster biodiversity. We created SmartStep to help forestry companies -- who for a variety of reasons have not yet met all FSC requirements -- receive recognition for responsible forestry practices. These operations may have complex relationships with local indigenous groups... or haven't yet identified areas of high conservation value... or are missing key management plan elements.

Why Take the SmartStep?

• The Home Depot, Ikea and other major retailers are demanding FSC certified wood.
• Businesses with a commitment to sustainability outperform competitors by as much as 15 percent.
• Wood use could double in the next 50 years and without sustainable practices in place we may not be able to meet this demand.
• Certified wood is widely promoted to the public worldwide and is already the savvy consumer's choice.

To learn more about the Rainforest Alliance's SmartStep program -- or enroll today -- call (802) 434-5491 or email.