North American Forest Leaders to Meet in Toronto on March 1-3, 2005

If your profession deals with sustainable forestry, forest products trade or certification, and if you want to learn from, be inspired by, and network with the leaders in these fields, the 2005 ForestLeadership Conference is an event you should not miss. Plan your attendance now to benefit from the best early-bird savings.

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ForestLeadership announced the program for its 2005 annual conference, featuring an exciting combination of keynote addresses, plenary and breakout sessions, CEO and customers’ panels, focus panels, a strategic certification dialogue, receptions, a gala dinner and awards ceremony, as well as excellent networking opportunities.

Conference discussions will explore various aspects of one of the most fascinating trends in North American forestry: the development of Partnerships Towards Sustainability.

Featuring some 40 prominent speakers from corporations, governmental agencies, conservation, indigenous, research and other organizations involved in sustainable forestry and responsible products trade, the conference presents three exceptional keynote addresses by:
Ontario Minister of Natural Resources, David Ramsay
US Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth;*
Director of the United Nations Forum on Forests, Pekka Patosaari.

Key lessons from partnerships will be highlighted through presentations and discussions of the work of such corporations as:
MeadWestvaco
StoraEnso
Hancock Timber Resource Management
Al-Pac and Office Depot,
as well as of conservation organizations such as the
Nature Conservancy
WWF
Wildlife Habitat Canada
Conservation Fund.

Through focused panels, the conference will present in-depth discussions of prominent and important partnerships:
Forest and Biodiversity Conservation Alliance
Ontario Forest Accord
Boreal Leadership Council
BC Central Coast Land and Resource Management Plan

A CEO Panel will provide delegates with the unique opportunity to hear the perspectives of two corporate leaders.
Sandy McDade, President of Weyerhaeuser Company Ltd
Thomas Stephens, CEO of Boise,**

Prior to that panel, a customers’ panel will feature:
senior executives from Proctor & Gamble and Lowe’s

Forest certification will be one of the key topics at the conference. There will be a panel focusing on the role of multi-stakeholder partnerships in certification, as well as a strategic dialogue on the most current certification issues, gathering the leaders of three prominent North American forest certification programs:
William Banzhaf from the Sustainable Forestry Board
Heiko Liedeker of the Forest Stewardship Council
Peter Johnson from CSA-International

Short break-out sessions will also be held dealing with topics such as the Canadian National Forest Strategy, the CSA / Ontario certification agreement, the new SFI standard and membership opportunities in the Forest & Biodiversity Conservation Alliance.

The conference takes place at the Four Diamond rated Wyndham Bristol Place Hotel(near Toronto’s international airport).
Details on the conference program can be found on this website: http://www.forestleadership.com/

Contact: The ForestLeadership Conference Team Tel (514) 274-4344 or toll free (888) 274-4344 Fax (514) 277-6663 Email conference@forestleadership.com
* invited; ** appointment to be confirmed