MEMPHIS, Tenn. (News release) -- Evergreen Packaging partners with the The Rainforest Alliance and FSC.

FSC, supports ecologically responsible, socially conscious forest management, and has worked to transform forestry practices globally for nearly 30 years through rigorous, science-based standards and a third-party certification system. Building off this experience, the Smallholder Access Program (SAP) is a two-year FSC pilot project designed to increase access to forest certification for woodland owners under 250 acres (100 hectares).

The SAP will be available to landowners across Southern and Central Appalachia, encompassing parts of Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. Nearly 60% of the forestland in this region is privately owned, representing a critical resource for the forest products industry. But for many landowners who harvest timber from their property once every 40-60 years and rely on natural forest regeneration in the interim, the value of certification rarely justifies the costs and long-term commitment required. As a result, this landowner segment has historically persisted outside of forest certification programs, and the influence that they have on forest management decisions. For forest products companies in the region, this represents a missing and critical potential resource of FSC-certified fiber.

Evergreen Packaging is a global leader in paper packaging solutions, makes paper and paperboard products.