The Boschi Carnic i Consortium (institution of Friuli Venezia Giulia) has obtained the first certification in Italy in compliance with the PEFC ITA 1001-SE:2021 standard – ANNEX 1: FOREST CARBON: STORAGE, ABSORPTION AND NON-EMISSION , the new certification standard for ecosystem services linked to forest carbon.
This certification certifies and validates the good practices of the Consortium , such as:
- the increase of the biomass in the forest,
- the implementation of reforestation or forest firefighting activities aimed at not emitting into the atmosphere or storing tons of carbon.
Just 6 months after the decision of the Board of Directors to undertake the certification process of Ecosystem Services linked to forest carbon, the prestigious certification by CSQA has arrived for the Consortium, which places the institution as a regional point of reference in ecosystem services.
“Right from the start I believed in the need to valorise the managed forest heritage for the important services carried out for the benefit of the community” declares the president Luigi Cacitti satisfied with the goal. "It is a result that fills me with satisfaction, shared with the region, with the Regional Councilor for forestry resources of Friuli Venezia Giulia Stefano Zannier, and which comes at the end of a cycle of valley meetings in which we involved local administrators and stakeholders in the path we have undertaken, in the belief that only by increasing the knowledge base and creating a system can we work for the development of the territory".
Cacitti's satisfaction also goes to the excellent work carried out by the working group which, inside the offices, with curiosity and enthusiasm undertook a new training course, aimed at auditors and consultants with the specific objective of acting as a link between forest owners and the certification body, to then quickly put the knowledge acquired in the vast "gym" of the consortium property to good use.
The challenge now is to provide professional support for the certification of Ecosystem Services to the rest of Carnia and contribute to the activation of a carbon credit market on a voluntary "0 km" basis.
Davide Troncon, head of CSQA's forestry schemes , underlines the importance of this goal, which adds to the one obtained last year by the Cansiglio Regional State Forest, managed by Veneto Agricoltura, for Ecosystem Services for Biodiversity.
It is now the turn of the certification of the third aspect of Ecosystem Services, the one relating to the "Enhancement of tourist-recreational functions and suitability for forest well-being" , which completes the set of the PEFC - SE standard and to which all attention is now directed.
Troncon adds "It is important and significant that the first certifications of Ecosystem Services were adopted by public structures , it is a good example that goes in the direction of making the community aware of the importance of protecting and enhancing the functions that Nature performs for the benefit of man, at a time when the climate crisis, drought and loss of biodiversity make it feel the indispensable need".