WASHINGTON, April 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks, has selected to package the official 2014 White House Easter Egg in a gift box made from paperboard certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) Standard.

"We are thrilled to be involved once again with this annual American tradition," said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI. "By choosing to package these famous Easter eggs in boxes certified to the SFI standard, the National Park Foundation is setting an example to others about the importance of selecting products from responsibly managed forests."

The decision by the National Park Foundation to package the commemorative White House Easter Eggs in paperboard sourced from responsibly managed forests highlights the importance of the conservation of American forests. The recognition made by the White House in support of sustainably certified forest products is not only a great privilege for SFI, but sends a clear message nationwide to invest in our forests and forest-based communities.

Government agencies have demonstrated their support for SFI and responsible forestry in many ways, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture statement noting that "sustainability of forest products can be verified using any credible third-party rating system, such as Sustainable Forestry Initiative..." and the National Association of State Foresters Policy Statement, which indicates that "SFI... makes positive contributions to forest sustainability."

For more information about the 2014 White House Easter Egg Roll and how to order the official White House Easter Eggs, please visit https://easter.nationalparks.org/.

About Sustainable Forestry Initiative®                         

SFI Inc. is an independent, nonprofit organization that is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the internationally recognized Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) program. Across the United States and Canada, about 250 million acres are certified to the SFI forest management standard. In addition, the SFI program's unique fiber sourcing requirements promote responsible forest management on all suppliers' lands. SFI chain-of-custody (COC) certification tracks the percentage of fiber from certified forests, certified sourcing and post-consumer recycled content. SFI on-product labels identify both certified sourcing and COC claims to help consumers make responsible purchasing decisions. SFI Inc. is governed by a three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally. Learn more at www.sfiprogram.org and www.sfiprogram.org/Buy-SFI.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140416/75706

SOURCE Sustainable Forestry Initiative