Requirements
To Be SFI Trained In South Carolina
·
Individuals must complete the SC Forestry Association’s three-day Timber
Operations Professional (TOP) Program to earn recognition as SFI Trained.
Comparable programs from other states may be substituted if approved.
·
Twelve hours of approved continuing education must be earned every three years
to maintain SFI Trained status, of which 4 hours must be a BMP oriented
course. Continuing education does not carry over from one three-year
period to the next.
WHAT
QUALIFIES
·
All
SCFA sponsored Timber Operations Professional (TOP) Programs and Workshops.
·
Forestry and timber harvesting short courses, workshops, seminars,
conferences, and field trips.
·
Adult education classes that enhance forestry and timber harvesting
professionalism, such as welding, Emergency Medical Technician, and computer
classes. Training required by federal or state law or regulation for the
job, such as OSHA required CPR or bloodborne pathogens training, does not
qualify for SFI credit.
·
Any course or program approved for Continuing Forestry Education by the
Society of American Foresters.
·
Participation in school programs, educational activities (such as Wood Magic
Forest Fair), community service, local government, and various Boards and
Committees to advance the forestry and logging professions.
·
To receive credit for non-TOP programs, use the “Application for SFI
Continuing Education Credit” available from SCFA or www.scforestry.org
SFI
Training Standards for
South Carolina
Goal
To
establish a statewide standard for loggers, foresters, and others in the
forestry community to meet SFI Inc.’s training and education requirements.
Authority
The SFI
Inc. Executive Committee has given to all State Implementation Committees the
responsibility to develop “objective criteria to determine qualifications
for an SFI ‘trained’ logger/forester.”
The SC
SFI Training Standards are intended to help fulfill Objective 16 (Training and
Education) of the SFI 2010-2014 Standard.
How
By
combining components of the SCFA Timber Operations Professional (TOP) Program
and other activities which qualify for continuing education credit, a set of
training standards will be developed in accordance with Objective 16 (Training
and Education) of the SFI 2010-2014 Standard.
Requirements
Individuals
will be recognized as SFI Trained
upon completion of the full three-day TOP Program.
Twelve
hours of approved continuing education must be earned every three years to
maintain SFI Trained status, of which 4 hours must be a BMP oriented course.
Credit may also be awarded for educational activities (such as Wood
Magic Forest Fair), community service, and other activities as approved by the
TOP Task Force. Continuing
education credit will not carry over from one three-year period to the next.
In the
event that an individual recognized as SFI Trained by the SC Forestry
Association’s SFI State Implementation Committee (SIC) does not fulfill the
SC guidelines for continuing education before the end of their valid trained
date, that individual will no longer be considered SFI Trained.
To
reinstate lost SFI Trained status, the individual must complete the continuing
education standard. At such time,
SFI Trained status will be reactivated, with the valid date advanced three
years from the original date of expiration.
The valid trained date will not be extended for the time during which
SFI Trained status is lapsed.
If SFI
Trained status has lapsed for more than one
year, the individual must re-earn their status by completing a course approved
as meeting SFI Inc. guidelines for logger
training and education (e.g. the three-day TOP Program).
Training and activities completed prior to the loss of SFI Trained
status will expire after a lapse of one year.
Administration
A
database of SFI Trained individuals
and continuing education will be maintained by SCFA.
SFI Trained individuals will
be responsible for notifying SCFA upon completion of continuing education
credits. Notification may be
handled with a class sign-up sheet if the program or course is pre-approved
for credit.
The TOP
Task Force will approve an “Application for SFI Continuing Education
Credit” form to apply for SFI credit from non-TOP programs.
The TOP
Task Force will evaluate continuing education credits, and credit will be
awarded for any activities that qualify for Continuing Forestry Education
contact hours. In addition,
service activities such as school programs and local government involvement
may qualify for SFI continuing education credit.
Directory
A
current listing (Directory) of SFI
Trained individuals will be maintained on the SC Forestry Association’s
website. The Directory will list
name, company, city, and state of the individual trained and the year through
which SFI Trained status is active.
If an individual does not complete continuing education requirements
and SFI Trained status lapses, they
will be removed from the Directory.
Notification
The SFI
committee will send a reminder to any SFI
Trained individual approximately six months prior to a lapse in SFI Trained status. Other
reminders and status updates will be sent periodically.
Promotion
of SFI Trained Individuals
Recognition
of SFI Trained status acknowledges
an individual's commitment to advance the logging profession in SC through
training and education. However, SFI
Trained status should not be construed as a certification, licensing, or
accreditation program.
NOTE:
“Sustainable Forestry Initiative” and “SFI” are registered marks of
American Forest & Paper Association, Inc.
