AFS Award pays tribute to Richard Stanton

19 October 2015 News

Organized by Australian Forestry Standard Ltd, PEFC’s National member in Australia, the award and dinner pay tribute to a man who devoted his life to sustainable forest management in Australia and internationally.

The life of Mr. Stanton, who was CEO and National Secretary of Australian Forestry Standard Ltd, was claimed in a tragic bicycle accident in Canberra earlier this year. He was 49. He had previously held a number of key roles in the Australian Plantation Products and Paper Industry Council (A3P); Australian Paper Industry Council; Plantation Timber Association of Australia; National Association of Forest Industries; and State Forests NSW.

AFS Ltd chair Kate Carnell said Mr. Stanton’s knowledge, commitment and enthusiasm for the Australian forest standard was extraordinary. “He had always been devoted to expanding sustainable forests,” she said.

"Richard was a wonderful colleague, a dear friend, and well respected within the PEFC family. We appreciate that this award keeps his memory and his dedication to responsible forestry alive," said Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International.

Nominations for the Richard Stanton Memorial Award for Excellence were open to individuals who had contributed significantly to either Forest Management or Chain of Custody certification under the Australian Forestry Standard Certification System. The award nominees will be those who have contributed to sustainable forest management under AS4708 or chain of custody under AS4707.

The award is open to, but not restricted to, forest owners and managers; chain of custody certificate holders; staff of certification bodies; forest scientists and researchers; and designers of products manufactured from sustainable timber.

Applicants for the award will have demonstrated excellence in the following areas:

• A significant and valuable contribution to sustainability.
• Innovation, improvement or excellence in forest management or chain of custody certification.
• A strong commitment to the AFS certification scheme and sustainable forest management.
• Innovation and improvement in the promotion and marketing of AFS certified products application.

The selection of the successful applicant will be made by the AFS marketing committee. The decision of the committee will be final.