The VLS Working Group submitted its report to the Steering Committee at the end of February. The working group essentially endorsed the proposals submitted by the FC and SGS and reviewed favourably by ProForest in 2007. This system involves enumeration of trees in the forest, labelling of logs and other wood products (including any imports), and tracking them using appropriate information technology from the forest to the mill and onward to export or (later) the domestic market. However the Working Group recommended incorporation of Off-reserve forest management activities into the Wood Tracking System and a phased approach to implementation starting with control of the export market and moving on later to the domestic market. The Working group also recommended adoption of a “Mass Balance” approach to volume and claims control focusing on material input, conversion factors and outputs with complete segregation at all critical control points along the supply chain.

The Working Group report does not address CSOs concerns about how communities and other social stakeholders can input to and receive data from this system.


 

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