White Oak and Sustainability
What about sustainability? Not only is sustainability important for the environmental impact, but the health of our forest is paramount to our local economy. In 2021 the industries related to forestry accounted for 37,000 jobs and accounts for $10 billion to the Missouri economy. Creating sustainability is paramount to maintaining the local economy. Luckily for us, Missouri is among the leaders in forestry management. Since 2017 Missouri has been certified by Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
So what is the Sustainable Forest Initiative? SFI is an organization that operates in the US and Canada, and it operates on four pillars: Standards, Conservation, Community and Education. With international recognition from Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). SFI requires annual surveillance with a full-on recertification every five years.
For more information Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
Beyond Missouri: The White Oak initiative was formed with the goal of making white oak specifically sustainable in perpetuity. Founded by the University of Kentucky, American Forest Foundation and DendriFund. Which put into place a plan of action to revitalizes and course correct issues among forest management across the country. With standards and education being made available to independent land holders and public land management, in bid to create a cohesive and comprehensive plan of action to revitalize and reinvigorate our forests nationwide.
For more information White Oak Initiative