The Center for Forest and Wood Certification in Lexington, Ky., recently earned Forest Stewardship Council group certification from Scientific Certification Systems.

The Center for Forest and Wood Certification helps local forest owners achieve FSC certification by centralizing efforts into a group forest management certificate. Group certification is designed to make certification more practical and affordable by relieving member owners of the responsibility for many of the administrative processes related to certification. The center is a partnership venture that brings together the forest industry, consulting foresters and non-profits. Housed at the University of Kentucky, the center manages the certification of forest owners and develops programs for forest industry, loggers, and foresters to aid in promoting certification and ultimately the development of well managed forests.

“The Center for Forest and Wood Certification is commendably helping small scale, family-owned forest businesses gain access to certification,” Scientific Certification Systems senior vice president Robert J. Hrubes said in a statement. “FSC certification can give rural landowners recognition in the marketplace for their responsible management of forest resources.”

“The center is designed to provide solutions that encourage forest and wood certification. The center works along the supply chain to facilitate the management, production, harvest, and processing of certified fiber. The forest management group certificate is an integral part of our work, allowing us to create opportunities for both family forest and local industrial ownerships to effectively obtain the benefits of certification,” said Jeff Stringer, director of operations at the Center for Forest and Wood Certification.