CANADA (News release) -- Port Hawkesbury Paper (PHP) has announced the successful transition of its Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Maritime certification to the new FSC national standard for responsible forest management in Canada.

The new national standard was developed to replace the four regional standards in Canada, which is considered more comprehensive and rigorous than the previous regional standards.

"Port Hawkesbury Paper is a company long committed to sustainable forest management, and our business is predicated upon responsible forestry practices," states co-mill manager Bevan Lock. "We want to ensure accountability and transparency in our forest management efforts, so maintaining and complying to internationally recognized third-party certifications, like FSC, is critical for our business and our customers."

The Crown lands licensed to PHP under the Forest Utilization License Agreement with the province of Nova Scotia have been certified to the FSC Maritime Standard for Best Forestry Practices since 2008. The transition to the new national standard for Canada will not interrupt PHP's commitment and maintenance of its FSC certification for responsible forest management. The national standard certification process is ongoing, and various sections of the standard will be audited annually within the transition period allowed by FSC Canada.

Port Hawkesbury Paper is a company involved in supercalendered paper manufacturing in North America.