Economic comparison of FSC and SFI certified companies on Vancouver Island : Iisaak Forest Resources and TimberWest

• Main Author: Scott, Brian
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Clayoquot Sound; First Nations; Long-Term Harvesting Levels; Riparian Forest Management
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/36198

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) forest certifications require forest products companies to perform responsible and sustainable forest management practices throughout the world. Iisaak Forest Resources Ltd., (Iisaak) a First Nations led company on Vancouver Island, has struggled with FSC certification and profitability, and has many issues surrounding its practices with harvesting, riparian management, and stakeholder involvement. TimberWest Forest Ltd. (TimberWest) is a forest products company with operations on Vancouver Island and is certified under SFI. The company follows more conventional harvesting practices than Iisaak and is able to remain competitive with other large forest products companies in the surrounding area. Iisaak appears to have a poor business model with its FSC certification, while TimberWest’s strategies under the SFI certification seem more favorable economically. Currently it is more sustainable financially for forest products companies to practice SFI rather than FSC certification on Vancouver Island, since there are fewer restrictions put on forest management. Forestry, Faculty of Unreviewed Undergraduate