Guyana’s dense tropical forests are home to exceptional biodiversity, where thousands of plant and animal species make their home.
Small and Community based forest holders manage 41% of the allocated commercial forest in Guyana and are critical in the efforts to protect this dense natural forest.
Our Community
Look for our FSC™ certified products
FSC™ is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting responsible forestry with a mission to promote environmentally sound, socially beneficial, and economically prosperous management of the world’s forests.
FSC™ certification is an important requirement for most buyers of timber products. However, meeting the direct and indirect costs for FSC™ certification is challenging for the Small and Community based forest holders as their production is too low and diverse to sustain markets and cover costs.
STS recognised this and decided to establish and manage an FSC™ Forest Management Group consisting of a cluster of Small and Community based forest holders.
Our members include families, communities and indigenous people all who apply low-intensity harvesting practices.
STS Forest Management Group
FSC™: Made With Heart
Our model improves access to an international timber market for small concession holders in Guyana. The STS Group is collectively certified by FSC™ and the associated costs are covered by STS. The result is Small and Community producers who would otherwise be unable to justify the costs, gain access to the premium markets that require that their suppliers hold an FSC™ certification.
Consolidated Supply from all over Guyana:
Traditionally, one of the main barriers for Small and Community producers is the ability to meet customer volume demands. STS consolidates the supply of group members in different parts of Guyana to meet market demands and secure important commercial contracts.
A Winning Formula
The FSC™ is keen to promote Lesser Known Timber Species to encourage timber users to seek a diverse selection of timber species as a supplement or alternative to the well-known species currently being overexploited.
Most Small and Community concessions have low volumes of many Lesser Known Species. By joining the group some of these trees can be harvested and consolidated by STS with other small volumes from other areas to build reliable markets that may not otherwise exist.
Lesser Known Species Market
One aspect of FSC™ certification that STS takes very seriously is the identification and responsible management of High Conservation Value Forest that may occur within its members’ Forest Management Units. This includes key habitats, endangered species or other valuable areas or objects of conservation value (including environmental services and cultural sites).
We have undertaken assessments of HCVF according to the tools developed by ProForest and endorsed by FSC™ but invite constant updates from forest users in order to keep our information current. If you have any information related to HCVF please contact us.
High Conservation Value Forest
STS holds an FSC™ Chain of Custody/Controlled Wood (SCS-COC-005620) and Forest Management (CU-FM/COC-858019) certificate.
Our Forest Management Group has a number of Small and Low Intensity Managed Forest (SLIMF) members, consisting of a number of Small and Community Forest Sector Operators (FSOs) namely Community Forest Management Areas (CFMA) including Amerindian (Indigenous) CFMAs and State Forest Authorisations (SFA).