The third edition of the guide has benefited from the generous input of many people. The authors would like to thank the following people for their help researching materials, reviewing drafts, and providing comments that substantially improved the guide: Thorsten Arndt (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification - PEFC), Svetlana Atanasova (European Commission), Philip Briscoe (Helveta), Benedict Buckley (WRI), Kevin C. Christian (Bank of America), Loretta Cheung (WRI), Caitlin Clarke (WRI), Keri Davis (Rainforest Alliance), Marius Ekue (Bioversity-Malaysia), Joe Foti (formerly with WRI), Carl Gagliardi (on behalf of Bank of America), Adam Grant (WRI), David Gritten (the Center for People and Forests -RECOFT), James Hewitt (independent consultant), Alison Hoare (Chatham House), Edith Johnson (European Forestry
Institute – EFI), Uta Jungermann (WBCSD), Ben Kushner (WRI), Jodi Lloyd (Sedex Global), Kasper Kopp (Kopp Wood), Chris Perceval (WRI), Marialyce Pedersen (The Walt Disney Company), Cassie Phillips (Weyerhaeuser), Janet Ranganathan (WRI), Ashleigh Rich (WRI), Leianne Rolington (International Institute for Environment and Development - IIED), Nigel Sizer (WRI), Christian Sloth (NEPCon), Davyth Stewart (Interpol), Jake Swenson (Staples), Darren Thomas (Double Helix Tracking Technologies Ltd.), and Tim Wilson (Historic Futures).

Previous editions of the guide have benefited from experts and stakeholders from various sectors including civil society organizations, academia and research organizations, the private sector, and government agencies. We are thankful to the following people for their contributions.

From civil society organizations, and academia and research organizations: William Banzaf (formerly with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative - SFI.), Bill Barclay (Rainforest Action Network), Rachel Beckhard (Environmental Defense Fund), Liu Bing (Greenpeace China), Kate Botriel (formerly with Proforest), Kerry Cesareo (World Wildlife Fund U.S. –WWF US), Marcus Colchester (Forest Peoples Programme), Didier Devers (EFI), Jim Ford (formerly with Forest Ethics), Ya Gao (formerly with The Forest Trust - TFT), Pina Gervasi (Forest Stewardship Council international – FSC), Ben Gunneberg (PEFC), Hando Hain (NEPCon), Debbie Hammel (Natural Resources Defense Council), Hanna-Kaisa Jussila (EFI), Ivar Legallais-Korsbakken (International Family Forest Alliance), Susanna Lohri (TFT), Joshua Martin, Duncan McQueen (IIED), Anne Middleton (formerly with the Environmental Investigation Agency), Reid Miner (National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. - NCASI), Tom Pollock (GreenBlue), Sarah Price (formerly with TFT), Margareta Renström (WWF international), Richard Robertson (FSCUK), Meriel Robson (Soil Association Woodmark), Birte Schmetjen (Confederation of European Forest Owners), Bambi Semroc (Conservation International), Markku Simula (Ardot), Alan Smith (FSC international), Bill Street (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Woodworkers Department), Roberto Smeraldi (Amigos da terra Brasil), Sofie Tind Nielsen (formerly with Proforest), Kirsten Vice (NCASI), Michael Virga (formerly with the American Forest and Paper Association – AF&PA), and George White (Global Forest and Trade Network -GFTN).

From the private sector: Mario Abreu (Tetra-Pak), Sofie Beckham (formerly with IKEA), Anders Birul (Norske Skog), Adam Constanza (formerly with International Paper), Lena Dahl (Tetra-Pak), Bernard de Galembert (Confederation of European Industries), Patricia Donohue (Xerox
Corporation), Ragnar Friberg (Stora Enso), James Griffiths (WBCSD), Sharon Haines* (International Paper), Jukka Karppinen (Metsä Group), Peter Korogsgaard Kristensen, Ed Krasny (Kimberly-Clark), Celeste Kuta (Procter and Gamble), Diane Lyons (IBM), (DHL Group), Jessica McGlyn (formerly with International Paper), Bruce McIntyre (PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada), Neil Mendenhall (Scientific Certification Systems), Hiro Nishimura (Oji Paper Japan), Mikko Ohela (formerly with Metsä Group), Antii Otsamo (Finnish Forest Industries), Cassie Phillips
(Weyerhaeuser), Otavio Pontes (Stora Enso), David Refkin (formerly with Time Inc.), Cathy Resler (formerly with Time Inc.), Amy Shaffer (formerly with Weyerhaeuser), Clifford Schneider (MeadWestvaco), Brigid Shea (formerly with International Wood Products Association), Jeffrey Shumaker (International Paper), Paul Skehan (European Retailers Roundtable), João Manuel Soares (Portucel Soporcel Group), Kristen Stevens (Wal-Mart), Erik Widén (Akzo Nobel/Eka Chemicals), Paul Wilson (CertiSource) and Paul Zambon (Keurhout), and members of the WBCSD Forest Solutions Group, in particular the Value Chain Action Team chaired by Joseph Lawson (MWV).

From government agencies: Svetla Atanasova (European Commission - EC), Jane Clunies-Ross (New Zealand Ministry of Environment), John Eyre (New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry), Véronique Joucla (Ministère de l’Agriculture, de l’Alimentation, de la Pêche et des Affaires Rurales, in France), Melanie Meaden (Environmental Agency Wales), Jill Michielssen (European Commission), Brian Millsom (UK Government Procurement Services Organization) and Jacques Vifian (Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Switzerland).

WRI colleagues that also provided assistance in previous versions of the guide include: Maggie Barron, Hyacinth Billings, Caitlin Clarke, Florence Daviet, Adam Grant, Craig Hanson, Jennie Hommel, Mareike Hussels, David Jhirard, Charles Kent, Pierre Methot, Susan Minnemeyer, Samantha Putt del Pino, Janet Ranganathan, Ashleigh Rich, Nigel Sizer, Jon Sohn, Fred Stolle, David Tomberlin, Dan Tunstall, and Jake Werksman. Within WBCSD: Kija Kummer, Anouk Pasquier and Michael Martin.

The authors would also like to thank Casey Canonge and Mary Paden for their flexibility and expertise editing the original guide.

The authors wish to express their appreciation to all reviewers for their generosity in providing important and substantive comments that significantly improved this guide. The authors retain full responsibility for any remaining errors of fact or interpretation.

Financial support for the first edition of the guide and the companion website came from Bank of America and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Financial support for subsequent editions, including this edition, was provided by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

* in her capacity as director of International Paper’s office of sustainability before she passed away in 2007.