Funding Announcement for Verified Impact Projects in Canada

This month, the Forest Stewardship Council® Canada is launching two new projects, under the Climate and Landscape Solutions Program area, thanks to a generous three-year grant from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). The projects goals are two-fold -  to increase understanding of how FSC forests can contribute to Canadian conservation and biodiversity goals and improve the resilience of forests to drought, fire and climate change - and - to support forest managers in the implantation of enhanced forest management standards to unlock new revenue streams/value.

Through the ECCC grant, pilot programs will be run to test how these standards contribute to fire and carbon management and biodiversity conservation. The pilots also seek to incorporate Traditional Ecological Knowledge from Indigenous rights holders to improve forest resilience. The second program will look at Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs), working with provinces to provide a pathway for identifying and reporting OECMs in FSC-certified forests, to contribute to Canada’s goal of conserving 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030 (“30x30”).

By testing and strengthening its existing tools and guidance, FSC Canada also plans to leverage emerging conservation finance mechanisms through FSC's Verified Impact, to fully value and incentivize investment for measurable climate and biodiversity benefits. The program will support companies to unlock high-quality forest impact data allowing them to prove and progress their climate and biodiversity goals and meet regulatory requirements.

“We are excited to share the data and insights from these projects to help FSC certificate-holders, Indigenous rights holders and all those with a stake in the resilience of Canadian forests maximize the benefits of evidence-based management practices,” shares Vivian Peachey, Director of Climate and Landscape Solutions.

FSC Canada is currently seeking participation in both pilot programs and focus groups. For more information please contact Vivian Peachey (v.peachey@ca.fsc.org).