Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. has won a 2018 Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Leadership Award for its work managing more than 14.5 million acres of FSC-certified forest, the largest contiguous area certified in the world.

“Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. (Al-Pac) is honoured to have been selected for the 2018 FSC Leadership Award and grateful for the opportunity to showcase our world-leading forest management practices,” said Alberta-Pacific public affairs lead, Paige Lawson. “Alberta-Pacific manages the largest contiguous FSC-certified area in the world and our team works hard each and every day to operate in the most environmentally responsible and socially beneficial manner possible.”

The FSC Leadership Award recognizes excellence in the use of FSC certified products and commitment to responsible forest management. These annual awards recognize individuals and organizations dedicated to protecting forests through FSC. Formerly known as the “Design & Build with FSC Awards,” the FSC Leadership Awards continue to recognize excellence in green building, while also celebrating other products, organizations and leaders in the FSC community.

“Alberta-Pacific has proven to be a leader in responsible forest management and product development not only in Canada but around the world,” said Corey Brinkema, president of the Forest Stewardship Council US. “Alberta-Pacific and indeed all of this year’s award winners demonstrate that we can manage and conserve forests in a responsible way while using forest products our society depends on in our daily lives.”

Since beginning operations in 1993, Alberta-Pacific has prided itself on being a world leader for its forest management practices as well as its economic and social contributions. The company achieved FCS certification in 2005. The current certification of 5.9 million hectares (14.5 million acres) of Al-Pac’s Forest Management Agreement (FMA) area represents the largest FSC-certified forest in the world.

FSC is an international, not-for-profit, membership-based organization whose mission is to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world’s forests.