The Village of Daajing Giids council was notified that Taan Forest is undergoing its 2024 Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) audit and is seeking broader recognition for its management practices. Council received correspondence explaining that the company is applying under FSC’s Ecosystem Services Procedure and is inviting input from Indigenous, community, environmental, worker and government stakeholders.
The audit, conducted by KPMG Forest Certification Services, is part of the company’s ongoing requirement to maintain FSC forest management certification. Stakeholder feedback gathered during this process will be reviewed by the audit team and included in a publicly available report.
In the information provided to council, Taan outlined steps it has taken to protect cultural and ecological values. These include identifying and preserving Haida heritage features such as village sites, shell middens and culturally modified trees, safeguarding monumental cedar stands through reserve zones, and protecting black bear dens with “no work” zones during hibernation. The company also pointed to efforts to expand conservation networks, restore degraded cedar stands and strengthen riparian protections in line with the Haida Gwaii Land Use Objectives Order.
Beyond maintaining its core FSC certification, Taan Forest is seeking recognition under FSC’s Ecosystem Services Procedure. This is an additional standard (FSC-PRO-30-006) that allows certified forest managers to demonstrate and make claims about specific positive impacts their practices have on ecosystems.
The procedure covers areas such as biodiversity conservation, carbon storage, soil and water protection, and cultural services. By verifying these impacts, companies can strengthen market recognition of their stewardship and provide documented assurance to buyers and the public that their operations produce measurable benefits. FSC’s framework requires evidence of outcomes, not only management intent, before such claims can be made.
The correspondence makes clear that input is being sought from a wide range of voices. Those willing to participate can provide comments by phone, email or questionnaire. All feedback will be treated confidentially unless the person giving it chooses otherwise, and a summary of how comments were addressed will appear in the public audit report.
The 2024 audit will conclude with a publicly available summary prepared by KPMG. That report will detail how stakeholder feedback was considered, assess conformity with FSC’s forest stewardship standards, and note whether the company’s request for Ecosystem Services recognition has been met.
For Daajing Giids council, the notification signals that local governments, along with community members, are invited to contribute to the process. For Taan Forest, the add-on represents an opportunity to have its cultural protections and ecological initiatives formally recognized as part of its certification record.
