BUCKSPORT – Verso Paper Corp. announced Tuesday it will provide a $100,000 grant over two years to the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands, or TCNF, to expand participation in that organization’s Forest Stewardship Council, or FSC, group forest certification program.

The program seeks to identify small, family forestland owners and to certify their lands to the FSC forest management standard. The Verso grant will provide resources to expand the program throughout the six states now covered under the group: Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont. The goal is to certify an additional 100,000 acres within the next 12 months.

“Certification is the most effective tool available for assuring that our forests remain healthy and productive for generations to come,” said Verso Vice President for Sustainability Craig Liska in a press release. “Group certification programs like the one administered by TCNF not only promote responsible forestry practices, but also help make the certification process more accessible and affordable to landowners.”

The grant will help to increase the trust’s contact with individual landowners, according to John Gunn, director of forest stewardship at the TCNF.

“Opportunities to meet directly with landowners, educate them about certification and walk them through enrollment in the group process are critical to our ability to increase the number of FSC-certified acres here in the Northeast,” Gunn said. “By enabling us to increase the trust’s capacity, the Verso grant will allow us to significantly increase those opportunities.”

Under the terms of the Verso grant, the Trust’s FSC group certification program will include well-managed forests larger than typical family forest parcels. The program traditionally has enrolled family forestlands ranging up to about 2,500 acres, according to Jim Contino, Verso’s fiber supply manager.

Verso has committed to enroll its 22,000-acre, company-managed timber deed near Nicatous Lake in the program. Verso Paper is certified under the Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody certification.

“We’ll be working closely with the wood procurement professionals at Verso and other paper and forest products companies to help identify landowners who might want to enroll in the FSC group certification program,” Gunn added.