Month: June 2023

ST. LOUIS, June 8, 2023 /3BL Media/ – During its June Plenary and General Assembly Meeting, Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture™ announced a commitment for the Fieldprint Platform™ to meet the requirements of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol Land Sector and Removals Guidance (LSRG) based on its assessment of the draft guidance. This announcement enhances the value delivered to Field to Market members and further assists them in setting and measuring progress toward their sustainability goals.

Many Field to Market members have near-term or net-zero targets in accordance with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) and plan to set Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) science-based targets. Many are using, or plan to use, the GHG Protocol LSRG to account for and report GHG emissions and removals to reach their climate goals. As a member-led organization committed to continuous improvement, Field to Market recognizes the importance of the GHG Protocol’s guidance and how it impacts sustainability commitments among members.

Following finalization of the LSRG, expected in June 2024, and thorough review by its membership, Field to Market commits to taking the necessary steps to meet the requirements of the LSRG through enhancements to its Fieldprint Platform and revisions to its sustainability metrics.

“This is an exciting time for the agricultural value chain and for Field to Market. We look forward to enhancing membership value by coordinating member feedback and providing input on the development of the GHG Protocol Land Sector Removals Guidance,” highlights Field to Market President Scott Herndon. “While we await the finalized Guidance, Field to Market members can continue to use our comprehensive Fieldprint Platform to track their sustainable, regenerative, climate-smart, and Scope 3 goals.”

To simplify and streamline Scope 3 GHG reporting, Field to Market is currently revising its Soil Carbon metric in the Fieldprint Platform to quantify carbon removals through land management and agronomic practices.

“Once the Soil Carbon metric is revised and meets the requirements of the GHG Protocol, ESG reporters will be able to quantify both greenhouse gas emissions and removals using the Fieldprint Platform,” says Paul Hishmeh, Field to Market Vice President of Science and Technology. “Coupled with updates to the existing GHG metric used by members to account for key land management emissions, these upgrades will provide a robust platform for GHG accounting.”

Earlier this week, Field to Market also announced their Gold Level Equivalence against SAI Platform’s new FSA 3.0, which is the highest possible rating available. Organizations interested in learning how Field to Market can assist with tracking and meeting sustainability goals can contact Coralie Pierre, Senior Manager of Programs and Partnerships.

ABOUT FIELD TO MARKET

Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture™ brings together a diverse group of grower organizations; agribusinesses; food, feed, beverage, restaurant and retail companies; conservation groups; universities and public sector partners to focus on defining, measuring and advancing the sustainability of food, feed, fiber and fuel production. Field to Market is comprised of over 170 members representing all facets of the U.S. agricultural supply chain, with members employing more than 5 million people and representing combined revenues totaling over $1.5 trillion. Learn more at https://fieldtomarket.org.

WILDLIGHT, Fla., June 8, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Rayonier is pleased to announce that Dan Roach, director of public affairs, recently received a 2021-2022 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director’s Honor Award for his work with the Southeast Forest Landowner Group. The group was named Private Landowner of the Year (Group) for their significant contribution to gopher tortoise conservation.

“This category of awards is especially meaningful here in the Southeast region for it recognizes a category of people without whom it would not be possible for us to pursue a vision of connecting lands and water to conserve wildlife resources,” said Daffny Pitchford, the Service’s acting deputy regional director. “The stewardship of private landowners is crucial to the future of wildlife. We in turn are committed to accomplishing our mission while keeping working lands working.”

The Regional Director’s Honor Awards are given to the Service’s volunteers, partners and employees who have contributed to the accomplishments of their mission and vision in the Southeast Region through extraordinary performance in a job or volunteer assignment in which they have demonstrated exceptional innovation or ability. The awards ceremony was held in Atlanta and virtually on June 1.

Roach recently retired after 44 years at Rayonier. As director of public affairs, he was an active member of numerous state forestry associations, the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI), the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) and the Society of American Foresters (SAF).

“During Dan’s accomplished career at Rayonier, his dedicated efforts included wildlife conservation and promoting forest management practices,” said Mike Bell, vice president of public affairs and communications, Rayonier. “He worked with other landowners and forestry organization members to help forge a successful partnership with USFWS, and as a result of intensive conservation work, it was determined that gopher tortoises in the eastern range didn’t warrant a federal listing.”

About Rayonier
Rayonier (NYSE:RYN) is a leading timberland real estate investment trust with assets located in some of the most productive softwood timber growing regions in the United States and New Zealand. We own or lease under long-term agreements approximately 2.8 million acres of timberlands located in the U.S. South, U.S. Pacific Northwest and New Zealand. We are More than trees because we recognize that our 90+ years of success in the timberland industry comes from our people, an empowering culture and the courage to constantly challenge “the way it’s always been done.” Get to know us at www.rayonier.com.

About U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The mission of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to work with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The vision for the Southeast Region is as follows: “Together we will connect lands and waters to sustain fish, wildlife and plants by being visionary leaders, bold innovators and trusted partners, working with and for people.”

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Ron Janvier’s story, and that of many more inspiring Indigenous People from northern Alberta to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and places in between, can be found in the 2022 edition of Suncor’s Pathways magazine. Our Pathways magazine is a representation of our ongoing commitment to the Journey of Reconciliation. Visit Suncor.com to read more stories.

A welder by vocation, Ron Janvier was always more comfortable working with metal than words.

“As my career progressed, I began to take on new roles in planning, business analysis and reliability that required me to write more reports, which was a challenge for me,” says Ron, who worked for Syncrude for 33 years before retiring in 2012. “But I had several good mentors and one of them, Colleen Kearney, encouraged me with writing. She told me, ‘Use words to your advantage and paint a picture. That’s how you will get results.’ Those were wise words.”

Ron has continued to follow that advice in retirement, though his focus now is on retelling the stories of his childhood rather than building business cases. The Chipewyan Prairie First Nation Elder published his first children’s book, Sakisak and the Squirrel, last year. It was something of an accident as Ron didn’t start out wanting to author a book.

“My wife, Shelly, was developing curriculum for Head Start, a program to help children living on First Nations get ready for school, in the Treaty 8 territory. She had found many Cree children’s stories, and stories from other regions, but nothing from the Dene in the Wood Buffalo region,” says Ron. “So, she asked me to write down some of the tales that I learned growing up. Stories were very important for us as youngsters—it’s a big part of how we learned. These stories were shared from generation to generation by knowledge keepers, who always told us to carry the stories down.”

Ron wrote down 10 of his favourite stories from childhood, which involved Sakisak, a mythical character who created animals and would change their colours to protect them.

“An archeologist who has studied the history of the Prairie Chipewyan First Nation really liked the stories and suggested I turn them into the book,” he says. “It was the right time for me to take something like that on. I started writing during the pandemic when I was stuck at home and could concentrate without any distractions.”

Working with illustrator Terresa Dersch, Ron finished the story. Calgary-based publisher Joey Podlubny released the book in April 2021.

“I’ve done a lot of public readings, including the recent Athabasca Tribal Council festival in Fort McMurray,” he says. “I’ve decided I’m going to write another book about Sakisak and a weasel. I’ve learned so much from this experience. My son Ryan, who is a graphic artist, will illustrate the next book, so it is a real family affair.”

And Ron hopes the books, with their lessons about animals and their behaviours, will help children of all ages better understand the natural world as well as Dene storytelling. “It’s important to preserve these stories and the wisdom within them for future generations.”

Ron Janvier’s story, and that of many more inspiring Indigenous People from northern Alberta to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and places in between, can be found in the 2022 edition of Pathways magazine. Visit our Pathways magazine page to read more.