Oct 11, 2007. /Lesprom Network/. Tembec announced on October 10, 2007 that it has received Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for its forestry practices on Forest Management License 1 (FML 1), a 900 000-hectare public forest license in eastern Manitoba. This is the first forest in the province of Manitoba to be audited and certified in accordance with the FSC National Boreal Standard. With the inclusion of FML 1 at Pine Falls, the network of FSC certified forests under management by Tembec and its partners has grown to 9.7 million hectares in Canada. "This certification represents a well-deserved recognition of the efforts of our team over the past few years," said James Lopez, Tembec president and CEO. "Certification of our operations in Manitoba is indeed a great accomplishment, particularly when we consider the complexity of the requirements and the significant number of interests that must be considered." The Forest Stewardship Council is recognized worldwide for its unique regional, multi-stakeholder approach to the development of standards for well-managed forests. "Achieving FSC certification is not an end in itself, but a checkpoint on the path of improving forest management performance", noted Michael Martel, Tembec senior vice president, Forest Resource Management Group. "Achieving certification represents a commitment to innovation, partnership and engagement going forward." Tembec received its certification from the Rainforest Alliance's SmartWood program, a Forest Stewardship Council accredited certifier, following an in-depth audit process that found that the Company's forest management practices comply with FSC's rigorous standards for environmentally and socially responsible forestry practices. Founded in 1993, the Forest Stewardship Council is an international non-governmental organization that has developed the only forest certification system recognized worldwide by native peoples, environmental groups, labour organizations and industry. The certification system requires consultations with all forest users and stakeholders, and guarantees the independent evaluation of forest management practices used by companies. Tembec is a large, diversified and integrated forest products company. With operations principally located in North America and in France, the company employs approximately 9 000 people. Tembec's common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.