International Day of Forests 2023

PEFC Italia presents its annual report on the occasion of March 21, International Day of Forests , this year dedicated to the theme "Forests and Health" .

And it is precisely in this area that PEFC Italia in 2022 celebrates a record: the first certification in the world of the Ecosystem Service of the Forestry Welfare Suitability of the Amiata Forestry Consortium (Gr).

As far as sustainable forest management is concerned, the certified forest area in Italy continues to increase: in 2022 it went from 892,609.63 hectares in 2021 to 925,609.96 (of which 8,554.55 of poplar groves and 54.91 of plantations) with an increase of 33,000 hectares, equal to 3.7% more.

There are 14 regions that have at least one certified forest , with Trentino Alto Adige confirming the largest area with 556,147.9 hectares, followed by Friuli Venezia Giulia , with 95,163.98 hectares, while Veneto is third with 76,294.005 hectares.

Also in the supply chains there is positive news with 104 new companies certified for the Chain of Custody (46% of which have entered group certifications) marking a net +3.4%: paper for packaging (19 companies with an increase of 41.3%), pallets (19 companies, +27.5%), wooden packaging (19 companies, +21.6%) the categories with the greatest increase.

Finally, the certification of ecosystem services allows us to protect new aspects of forests and at the same time opens up new communication channels towards the public/consumer and new opportunities for economic support to forest areas with voluntary sustainability credit markets.

In particular, we recall that in 2022 the ecosystem services market celebrated the first fully certified supply chain with the Consorzio dei Boschi Carnici in Friuli Venezia Giulia which certified the ecosystem service of the "absorption, storage or non-emission of carbon", part of whose credits were transferred to the Burgo Group.

The Comunalia di Valdena Santa Maria , which is part of the forest management certification of the Consorzio Comunalie Parmensi (Emilia Romagna) has certified "sustainability credits", which have all been booked by the Benefit Company "Ri-Generiamo", which has activities and projects in the environmental and social sector throughout Italy.

And we conclude with the Consorzio Forestale dell'Amiata (Gr) , which was the first reality in Italy to be certified for GFS in 2003, confirming in 2022 the primacy for the first certification of suitability for forest welfare (also called "forest bathing"). (Source: https://www.pefc.it/ )