FSC® Certification and The Californian Wild Fires

FSC® Chain of Custody Certification and The Californian Wild Fires.

Although the wildfires have now been dampened by the rains. The 2018 wildfire season is the most destructive wildfire season on record in California.

There was a total of 7,579 fires burning an area of 1,667,855 acres.

The fires have caused more than $2.975 billion in damages.

In mid-July to August 2018, a series of large wildfires erupted across California, mostly in the northern part of the state. A national disaster was declared On August the 4th 2018 in Northern California, due to the extent of the wildfires burning there.

There is almost 150 who are still unaccounted for, and it has destroyed more than 18,000 structures

The Impact of FSC® Chain of Custody Certification on Deforestation and Wildfires.

Wildfires are often also triggered by the clearing of forests for agricultural land but are more directly caused by neglectful use of fire for land clearing.

The frequency and the extent of damage are highly related to the weather, and because El Nino climatic events tend to be drier, it results in controlled burning getting out of control and doing extensive damage.

These fires cause dramatic changes in the composition of the forest and increase mortality of mature trees. Both wildfires and deforestation also reduce forest cover, which significantly reduces economic potential from the collection of non-timber forest products.

The following was found in a study conducted in 1990:

Forests that are properly managed in accordance with FSC® requirements can reduce the occurrence of deforestation and wildfires.

Certified areas not only experience 20 times less deforestation than non-certified areas but also 65 times fewer occurrences of wildfires.

In 2007, only 0.1% of FSC® certified concessions burned from wildfires, versus 6.5% of non-certified multiple use zones.

FSC® Chain of Custody Certification with Interface NRM

Interface are UKAS & ASI Accredited Certification Body. We offer ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, FSC® and also PEFC Certification Services.

You can also learn more about us on our website here.

If you would be interested in achieving FSC® Chain of Custody Certification through Interface NRM then please complete the form below, and one of our team will be in contact with you shortly.