Workshops and Special Sessions

What are the hot forest issues in Washington D.C.? Who are the major players in Congress? How are SAF and other interest groups participating? Join members of SAF’s Committee on Forest Policy and others for an open discussion on what’s happening in forest policy at the national level and what to expect next year, the second year of a Democratically controlled Congress and a Presidential election year. This will be followed by an informal sharing session from policy chairs on the issues being addressed at the state and regional levels---and their perspectives on what’s working and what’s not.

Ethics Workshop
Tuesday, October 23
1:00 pm — 3:00 pm
Fee — Open to all registered attendees

The ethics workshop is designed to fulfill CFE (2 hr) requirements. The course will cover the history and need for the SAF Code of Ethics, how ethics cases are handled, and a case study.

Forest Certification Auditing Workshop (W1)
Saturday, October 27
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Fee - $150 (includes workshop materials and snacks)

The workshop applies general auditing principles to unique forest management situations independent of any one forest certification system. The workshop bridges gaps between certification systems to supplement other courses and materials on environmental management system auditing, surveys of forest certification systems, and training for specific forest certification systems, rather than taking the place of training related to any one system.

Participants will leave the course with:

• An understanding of the unique aspects of forest certification auditing,
• Knowledge of the background and characteristics of North American forest certification systems and standards
• Familiarity with forest auditing principles
• Experience in applying these principles in audit settings through case study exercises

Advanced Forest Certification Auditing Workshop (W2)
Sunday, October 28
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Fee - $150 (includes workshop materials and snacks)

This advanced workshop features special topics in forest certification auditing, such as lead-auditor responsibilities, chain of custody, comparison of systems, auditor ethics, the institutional setting of certification, and certification trends. Early registrants will have an opportunity to specify content that they would like to cover in the course.

Participants will leave the course with:

• An understanding of the responsibilities of a lead-auditor
• In-depth knowledge of chain of custody and individual forest certification systems
• An understanding of future trends involving forest certification
• Familiarity of ethics in auditing