The Great Lakes Region: A Forest Certification Hub

Over the past decade the Great Lakes Region, including the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and the Province of Ontario, has become a hub for forest certification leadership and innovation.

In many ways, in order for forest certification to deliver its full potential, a critical mass needs to be reached in the available supply of certified raw materials, participating manufacturers, and customers who preferentially purchase a range of certified products. In measurable ways, this critical mass has been achieved in the Great Lakes Region.

The three states included in this region, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, represent 29% of all of the certified forestland in the United States, including 50% of the FSC Certified and 19% of the SFI-Certified lands. Similarly, in Canada, the Province of Ontario alone represents 49% of the FSC-Certified lands and 19% of the SFI-Certified lands in Canada. Taken together, these three states and one province encompass 30% of the certified forestlands in North America.

This report provides information about the certification efforts and resources available in the region as well as the private and public leadership that has made these achievements in certification possible.