E-Learning Course Launched to Protect Forest Product Safety and Forest Health

U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, Greenville, SCFor IMMEDIATE RELEASE (January 20, 2015)

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (Endowment) is pleased to announce the availability of a new e-learning course — Trade in forest commodities and the role of phytosanitary measures – North- Americanedition. http://www.fao.org/forestry/foresthealthguide/76169/en/

“In a world where global trade in products is a reality, it is vitally important that we take every reasonable precaution to ensure that such trade does not exacerbate human or environmental health issues. Development of this product was led by the Canadian Forest Service of Natural Resources Canada as a follow-up to the Canada/U.S. Forest Health Summits and serves as a good step toward enhancing forest health protection efforts in North America,” said Endowment President & CEO Carlton Owen.

Governments and private businesses around the world are increasingly challenged to ensure that trade in commodities does not serve as an unintended conduit for pests and diseases. Two historic examples –American chestnut blight and Dutch elm disease – essentially wiped out two important wild and urban trees in the U.S. Wide use of the e-learning course is one tool to aid in minimizing risks going forward.

This work is just one of many being undertaken by scientists from the U.S. and Canada collaborating to ensure that the forests of North America and the products that flow from them and from other forests around the world don’t result in increased forest health challenges. In 2011 and again in 2013 the Endowment served as convener for two international summits between Canada and the U.S. for the purpose of building on historic collaboration to benefit the people and forests of the two countries.

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For more information contact:
Carlton N. Owen, President & CEO, 864-233-7646, carlton@usendowment.org
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (the Endowment) is a not-for-profit public charity working collaboratively with partners in the public and private sectors to advance systemic,transformative, and sustainable change for the health and vitality of the nation’s working forests andforest-reliant communities – www.usendowment.org