New Zealand’s PEFC scheme will have a new chair after the New Zealand Forest Certification Association (NZFCA) endorsed Mark Ross, the CEO of the Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association of NZ (WPMA) to replace Dr Julian Elder, CEO of Scion Research.
Wood Central can reveal that Mr Ross will take the chair from July 1, 2025, with the appointment confirmed at a meeting of the NZFCA directors on June 24. Ross, who has served as CEO of the WPMA – New Zealand’s peak lobby for timber processors – since July 2023, where he replaced Dr Jon Tanner (also a former chair of the NZFCA). Before starting at WPMA, he held leadership positions at Animal and Plant Health NZ, Federated Farmers of NZ and the Ministry of Primary Industries.
This afternoon, Wood Central spoke to Simon Dorries, CEO of Responsible Wood (the Australian-endorsed PEFC scheme), who stated that the appointment of Ross coincides with a new joint Australian and New Zealand standard development process. This multi-year process will result in the joint Australian and New Zealand standard for Sustainable Forest Management (AS/NZS 4708) becoming “fit for purpose” with PEFC international benchmarks (PEFC ST 1003:2024) and the European Union Deforestation Regulations (EUDR), set to roll out later this year.
“Our standards are globally recognised because they reflect science-based criteria developed through wide consultation. They ensure Australia’s forests remain among the most sustainably and responsibly managed in the world,” Dorries said.
As it stands, approximately 600,000 hectares of forest area in New Zealand are PEFC-certified, which, along with just under 17 million hectares of forests in Australia, comprise more than 294 million hectares of global forests now certified under the PEFC forest certification scheme.
