Compliance

[timberking]

Ever since it started raining, I haven't heard as much about FSC or SFI.  Our attention is still on following guidelines, but input from industry has slowed.  Different mills down here subscribe to different entities.  Do you see the size of the woodpile affect policy in other areas?

[Dodgy Loner]

What? Not sure I follow.

[beenthere]

Do you see the size of the woodpile affect policy in other areas?

I read the OP comment to be the SFI, etc. plays into the buying of logs... if plenty of logs then use the SFI as a reason not to take more. If short supply, drop the SFI requirement.

So I can see the size of the woodpile affecting policy.   That is my interp for the OP. But it may not even be close... ;)

[timberking]

When we were on quota, the mill might buy unlimited FSC wood from us but not uncertified.  That puts the onus on us to beat the drum for them and create a mountain of paper work for us.  Now the wood pile is low, they just want tons across the scales.

[Dodgy Loner]

So you're a logger, I take it? That might have been helpful to start out with. What mills are you talking about? Grade hardwood mills? High-production pine sawmills? Pulp mills? Makes a difference.

FSC is pretty much dead in water in my neck of the woods. SFI is king here. The mill that I work at has the same environmental standards regardless of the weather or the woodpile. Losing SFI certification is NOT an option. However, the scales tend to allow more defect to slide through than they would otherwise. It is not a policy, that's just the way things go. I suspect that happens everywhere. Running out of wood costs a lot of money, especially at a pulp mill.

[WDH]

I worked for the same company that Dodgy does.  The standards were not relaxed based on weather or the log inventory. 

[timberking]

We are not relaxing the standards but the emphasis has waned.