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August 11th, 2003 - With the expiration of its original five-year contract and the subsequent successful reassessment of its forestlands this month, the Aitkin County Land Department becomes the first public land to renew a continuous Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) forest management certification. In 1997, Minnesota led the way in third-party forest certification with the successful FSC-certification assessment of 223,000 acres of forest managed by the Aitkin County Land Department (ACLD) and 340,000 acres managed by the Department of Natural Resources. Both FSC assessments and certifications were carried out by the Rainforest Alliance's SmartWood program. Every year, SmartWood rigorously audits each certified forest operation through annual on-site assessments, continuous public and private consultation and constant public reporting.

Throughout its initial years of certification, Aitkin County continued to improve its forest management, making for better on-the-ground forestry practices and helping to prepare for re-certification. The ACLD has implemented an ecological classification system to aid in identifying forest types, natural communities and specific management alternatives. It has also developed specific guidelines for addressing concerns related to rare, threatened and endangered species.. The county has developed a fully realized strategic plan available for public review, a computerized system for formulating management prescriptions, and has hosted numerous field tours and workshops to demonstrate what FSC certification looks like on the ground. Foresters and land managers in Aitkin County have been regularly interviewed and invited to speak at public events, as well as asked to comment on and review other certification applications.

" The FSC is proud to announce the renewal of Aitkin County's certification. They were one of the first public lands to seek FSC forest management-certification, and we're extremely happy that the value of the FSC system has encouraged them to renew that commitment,” stated Roger Dower, FSC-US President.

"The Aitkin County Land Department is by all counts a model of sustainable forest management on public lands. In addition to supporting several sensitive species and exceptional biological communities, the forest plays an integral role in maintaining the economic vitality of the region, as well as the rural quality of life in Aitkin County," noted Dave Bubser, SmartWood's Regional Manager for the United States. The ACLD forestry staff has been progressive & innovative leaders in weaving ecological forest management considerations into the commercial production of timber."

Aitkin County has been a leader in promoting the market benefits of FSC certification. As a direct result of FSC certification in Aitkin County, Minnesota can now boast over one million acres of total FSC-certified forests in the state, and nearly 25 primary and secondary manufacturers that are chain-of-custody certified to use the FSC logo on products made from wood harvested from FSC-certified forests. With the certified forests and manufacturers actively establishing market linkages, local end consumers including the Summit Brewing Co. and Aveda Corporation have been able to implement purchasing policies that show preference for FSC-certified wood products, such as pallets that come from Minnesota's own FSC-certified forests.

" The independent, third-party nature of FSC certification has given credibility to our forestry program and should steadily enhance our local forest products industry," said Mark Jacobs, ACLD Assistant Land Commissioner.

Nearly five million acres of U.S. public lands are currently certified under the Forest Stewardship Council's forest management program, including forestland in Minnesota, California, Washington, Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee and Maine. An additional 4.5 million acres of private forestland in the U.S. has also received FSC certification.

The FSC is the global and national leader in the independent certification of forests managed to exemplary standards covering environmental, social and economic issues. Forest certification enables consumers to make informed choices when selecting wood and other forest products. The FSC-U.S. is responsible for establishing independent forest certification standards and promoting FSC certification in the U.S.

The FSC supports environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests. FSC promotes responsible forest management by evaluating and accrediting certifiers, by encouraging the development of national and regional forest management standards, and by providing public education and information about independent, third-party certification as a tool for ensuring that the world's forests are protected for future generations. There are currently20-million acres of FSC-certified forestland in North America and 90-million acres globally. Further information about FSC-U.S. can be found at www.fscus.org.

The Rainforest Alliance is an international conservation organization that works to protect endangered ecosystems and the people and wildlife that live in them by transforming land use practices, business practices, and consumer behavior. Established in 1989, SmartWood is the oldest and most extensive global forest certification program and is accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council. SmartWood has eight regional offices and partners with a network of non-profit conservation organizations. SmartWood is headquartered in Richmond, Vermont, USA. Further information about SmartWood can be found at www.smartwood.org.

For more information about Aitkin County lands, please contact Mark Jacobs, Assistant Land Commissioner, Aitkin County Land Department, 209 2nd St. NW Room 206, Aitkin, MN 56431, P: 218-927-7367, F: 218-927-7249.

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