How does GreenLink Operate?

The GreenLink Forest Stewards Group is committed to upholding the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council™ as a means of promoting and recognizing superior forest management on the lands of the group members. A group member’s participation is strictly voluntary. Due to the detailed nature of the standards, it is important that all potential landowners be qualified and able to uphold the FSC® standards. For various reasons, not all landowners may be suited for certification under the FSC® certification scheme. That is why the following membership eligibility rules have been developed to ensure that all parties are reasonably able and willing to fulfill their commitments over the short and long-term.

Pre-enrollment Criteria:

In order to become a Group Member, an applicant must adequately manage and monitor his or her forest property in a manner that meets the auditing criteria of the FSC® principals. To do this, the applicant must:

• show clear title to his landholdings;

• have an up-to-date management plan conforming to the group’s approved template;

• possess knowledge and use of approved forest practices or have professional forester representation;

• have management expertise and planning appropriate to the scale of operations or have professional forester advice available;

• arrange for a pre-enrollment inspection tour to assess the ability of the forestland to meet the requirements of the Group standards; and

• provide a contact information list of “stake-holders” – anyone who would be affected by the group member’s forest management such as hunting or farming lessees, mortgage holders, neighboring landowners, employees, forestry contractors, BMP foresters, or government agencies. Each property is unique.

Management Plan

A management plan – appropriate to the scale and intensity of the operations – must be written, implemented, and kept up-to-date.

The management plan must include:

• Management objectives;

• A description of the forest resources to be managed, environmental limitations, land use and ownership status, socio-economic conditions and a profile of adjacent lands;

• A description of silvicultural and/or other management systems;

• Rationale for rate of annual harvest and species selection;

• Provisions for monitoring forest growth;

• Environmental safeguards based on environmental assessments (e.g., Best Management Practices for Streamside Management Zones);

• Plans for identifying and protecting rate, threatened, and endangered species (e.g., Heritage Trust Program sites);

• Maps describing the forest resource base, including protected areas and planned management activities; and

• A description and justification of harvesting techniques and equipment to be used.

The management plan shall be periodically revised to incorporate the results of monitoring or new scientific and technical information. The management plan shall be shared with the Group Manager and third-party auditor, while respecting the confidentiality of information. GreenLink will maintain member and property information on all Group Members (see Appendix 3 in GreenLink’s Operations Manual).