Two Canadians appointed to SFI board

Two Canadians are among four new members elected to the Sustainable Foresty Initiative Inc.’s board of directors.

Jim Irving, co-CEO of J.D. Irving Limited in New Brunswick, represents the economic chamber on the board. Lennard Joe, president of the Nicola Tribal Association in British Columbia, represents the social chamber.

Irving, who was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1996, pioneered J.D. Irving Limited’s (JDI) reforestation and tree improvement programs, helping to set the tone for sustainable forestry in Canada and around the world. The company has been planting trees since 1957 and will plant its billionth tree this year.

“These voluntary investments in science and conservation are a cornerstone of our sustainability commitment and have been part of the way we have done business for over 30 years,” said Irving. “I hope to use my new board position to leverage the research and conservation work of the SFI network to expand the positive impact JDI and SFI can have when it comes to providing supply chain assurances for consumers and companies.”

Joe, a registered professional forester and a member of the Niaka’pamux First Nation, is also an adviser and committee member with the University of British Columbia’s faculty of forestry First Nations council of advisers.

“Our goal is to continually incorporate Indigenous values into the practice of sustainable forestry,” said Joe. “Our management activities truly embody our ethic of conserving the ecosystems where we work and our commitment to the future of our forests. Indigenous lands certified to SFI are a big part of this and I’m looking forward to furthering this connection by serving on the SFI Board.”

SFI’s 18-member, multi-stakeholder board of directors comprises three chambers, representing environmental, economic and social interests equally. SFI board members include executive-level representatives of conservation organizations, academic institutions, Indigenous communities, family forest owners, public officials, workers and the forest products sector.

“SFI is embarking on a strategic direction exercise and we are so pleased to have these new representatives from key constituencies among our leadership,” Kathy Abusow, president and CEO of SFI Inc., said. “They will help us think through our role in the next chapter of our forests, our responsible supply chains, and our communities, including measuring conservation results, connecting youth to the outdoors, and engaging our grassroots network of 34 SFI implementation committees who do critical work at the local and regional levels across the U.S. and Canada.”