FSC first for Brazil forest concession
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Brazilian forestry company LN Guerra has achieved FSC certification for Mamuru, its 46-000 hectare concession in Para state. This is the first forest concession in Brazil to achieve FSC certification.
Lead by Leandro Guerra, the company employs 100 people and began working with TFT towards responsible forest management in March 2012 through the TTAP project following its nomination by one of its European buyers, DLH. Its FSC certificate for the forest concession and its processing facility was issued by Imaflora, a partner of Rainforest Alliance, in October 2012.
LN Guerra sells rough sawn decking and flooring products, made from tropical woods such as Maçaranduba, Ipe, Cumaru, Angelim and Jatobá, into both domestic and European markets, and with its FSC claim can provide assurances of the origin of their timber products and that it has been harvested in accordance with local laws and regulations. This achievement is a testament to LN Guerra’s values towards responsible and sustainable management of its forest resources.
TFT’s work involved helping LN Guerra implement a monitoring system for responsible forest management, training staff in this, and helping draw up and implement a social management plan to engage closely with nearby communities, some of them indigenous. Relationships were also developed with NGOs working in the area, and with local government, who control the concessions. Some larger infrastructure changes have also taken place, including building a wharf so that logs can be easily transported to the sawmill and on to factory production.
The successful outcome of this work is also thanks to the help of The Amazon Alternative (a project of the Sustainable Trade Initiative – IDH), which provided funding for the certification work programme, including social and environmental assessments, audits and training.
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