Stewardship

At Sugarbush Cabinet Company we are acutely aware of the critical role a healthy environment plays in our lives. To put it bluntly, without our forests, we would not have a livliehood!

With each passing year, our respect for the natural world and our sense of wonder about it increases. Whenever possible, we try to build our knowledge and understanding....particularly in regard to forests and the products that come from them.

Forestry is a significant economic force in Eastern Ontario where we are located. Over time, however, forest quality has declined primarily due to the practice of "high grading" (harvesting the best trees and leaving the rest).

The Eastern Ontario Model Forest is a large family of individuals and organizations dedicated to ensuring the wise use of the forests in Eastern Ontario. We have come to greatly admire this organization, not only for the work it does, but for the grass-roots, participatory, respectful way it goes about its work.

While we have actively supported the work of EOMF for some time, we wanted to do more. Consequently this year we made a corporate donation to an EOMF project that is very important for the forests of Lanark County. It is known as the EOMF Group Forest Certification Initiative. We believe so strongly in the potential benefits of this project for the people and forests of Lanark County that we plan to continue to donate in the years to come.

Forest certification is a process designed to encourage the sustainable management of forests. Group forest certification allows several landowners to share the benefits and costs of certification by certifying their lands as one unit. In this Lanark County pilot project, the application of the "well managed" (FSC Certification) label to the woodlots and associated products assures woodlot owners and consumers that these forest are being sustainably managed. We applaud the work of the many individuals and groups involved in this project, and wish them ongoing success!

For more information on this exciting project and the other work of participating agencies, visit Eastern Ontario Model Forest and the Forest Stewardship Council of Canada websites.

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