OTTAWA, Ontario - The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and Scouts Canada have announced a new partnership aimed at strengthening and expanding their mutual goals for environmental stewardship. At the Scouts Canada Annual General Meeting in Calgary, Alberta, SFI and Scouts Canada signed a Memorandum of Mutual Support to work more closely and coordinate activities.

"Scouts Canada is a national leader in developing lifelong values and conservation ethics among youth in Canada so it's a natural fit for us to work together to improve the environment and our communities," says Kathy Abusow, SFI President and CEO. "This builds on our relationship with Scouts Canada, teaching youth about sustainable forestry, environmental conservation, and using natural resources wisely - of course, all while having fun."

"Scouts Canada is proud to partner with SFI," says Andrew Price, Scouts Canada Chief Commissioner and Chair of the Board of Governors. "One of our organization's main pillars is environmental stewardship; educating our youth about sustainable forestry clearly complements this focus. Since 1978, Scouts Canada's youth have planted more than 80 million trees nation-wide. Our work with SFI will support both our current and ongoing environmental program initiatives."

SFI and Scouts Canada will continue to team up on various projects that are in the works throughout 2014. SFI's most recent support of Scouts Canada includes the 2012 ADVenture event, where Scouts participated in a joint SFI and First Nation's tree planting ceremony to promote future healthy forests and give thanks to the local forest land. Additionally, Scouts used lumber certified to the SFI Standard to construct obstacle courses in an effort to increase their awareness about certified wood products and sustainably managed forests. SFI and the SFI Western Implementation Committee also recently sponsored the Canadian Scout Jamboree (CJ'13) by providing certified lumber for kitchen shelters and 100 certified custom engraved cedar paddles for canoeing activities.

About Sustainable Forestry Initiative (Canada) SFI Inc. is an independent, nonprofit organization that is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the internationally recognized Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) program. Across Canada and the United States, more than 80 million hectares (more than 200 million acres) are certified to the SFI forest management standard. In addition, the SFI program's unique fiber sourcing requirements promote responsible forest management on all suppliers' lands. SFI chain-of-custody (COC) certification tracks the percentage of fiber from certified forests, certified sourcing and post-consumer recycled content. SFI on-product labels identify both certified sourcing and COC claims to help consumers make responsible purchasing decisions. SFI Inc. is governed by a three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally. Learn more at http://www.sfiprogram.org/ and http://sfiprogram.org/BuySFI.

About Scouts Canada

Scouts Canada, the country's leading youth organization, has more than 100,000 members nationwide representing every faith and culture. Scouts Canada groups offer programming in a variety of languages, reflecting Canada's multicultural landscape and communities. Kids in Scouts have fun adventures discovering new things and experiences they wouldn't discover elsewhere. Along the way, they develop into capable, confident and well-rounded individuals, better prepared for success in the world. For tens of thousands of children and youth across Canada, Scouts is the start of something great. For more information visit Scouts.ca.

Scouts Canada is a not-for-profit organization (Charitable Registration No. 10776 1694 RR0028) and a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.

Source: Sustainable Forestry Initiative