Close to a million hectares of the Lake Nipigon Forest in northwestern Ontario is now certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) standard.
The forest is managed by Lake Nipigon Forest Management, who is responsible for planning, reporting and implementing all forest operations.
The organization is made up of four First Nations-owned business trusts in Red Rock including the Animbiigoosagagun Economic Development Trust, the Red Rock First Nation Business Trust, the Papasay Management Corporation and the Biinjtiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek Development Corporation.
The addition of Lake Nipigon's lands brings the total amount of land in North America held or managed by First Nations groups certified to the SFI Standard to 2.75 million hectares.
"As stewards of the land, it is important for us to respect the forest and what it provides while keeping an eye to ensuring we have continued benefit from the land well into the future," said Lake Nipigon Forest Management president Theresa Nelson in a Dec. 23 statement.
