St. Charles, MD Receives SFI Certification in Recognition of Forestry Initiative
St. Charles, MD (PRWEB) July 08, 2013 -- The St. Charles Companies has received Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) certification for its forest management practices. Through this initiative, the 9,100 acre, master-planned community ensures lasting excellence in its stewardship of all St. Charles forested areas through the sustainable harvest of mature, overmature, diseased and suppressed timber.
“SFI certification is an important endorsement of just one part of our sustainable practices here at St. Charles,” said St. Charles Companies CEO, Alan Shearer. “This is a nationally recognized program that allows us to boost the natural benefits of the forest while allowing for healthy harvesting –ensuring that we are growing more wood than we are harvesting.”
The St. Charles Companies has retained forestry consultant, Fred Schatzki, R.F. of American Forest Management, Inc. All trees selected for harvesting will be designated by a qualified Maryland Registered Forester. Selection is based on identifying areas that have biologically and financially mature timber and areas that are in poor condition due to prior management activities and that are in need of improvement. Meanwhile, the removal of diseased, invasive and unhealthy trees will improve the overall health and vigor of the forest and will protect and enhance wildlife habitat, protect soil and water resources and enhance the visual appeal of the forest.
American Forest Management, Inc. (AFM) is one of the largest forest consulting and real estate brokerage firms in the United States. AFM currently manages more than 4.7 million acres of privately owned timberland and has sold more than $1 billion in real estate in 1,384 transactions since 2005. With 250 employees operating from 44 offices located in 15 states, AFM’s team of professionals is focused on meeting client needs by providing a complete range of forestry services. Our small regionally dispersed offices allow us to provide individualized services, and our large overall size allows us to coordinate teams of foresters and technical specialists for large, complex jobs.
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 Canada and the United States, more than 240 million acres (nearly 100 million hectares) are certified under the SFI forest management standard, the largest single forest standard in the world. The SFI program was launched in 1994 as one of the U.S. forest sector’s contributions to the vision of sustainable development established by the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Its original principles and implementation guidelines began in 1995, and it evolved as the first SFI national standard backed by third-party audits in 1998.
St. Charles is the best-selling new home community in Southern Maryland and is considered one of the most successful master planned communities in the country. St. Charles is just 11 miles south of the Capital Beltway and observed its 40th anniversary in 2012. In the past few months, St. Charles was featured in The Washington Post (Lower Prices Draw More Buyers, Renters to St. Charles) and was profiled alongside the Washington area’s top master planned communities in The Washington Times (Master-Planned Towns, Age 50, Innovative Still). Over the past year, St. Charles achieved record-level sales as buyers and renters recognized the advantages of a mixed-use community with unique features such as the Regency Furniture Stadium, the new West Waldorf library, and the new St. Charles High School, a state-of-the-art facility scheduled to open in 2014. Named by CNN’s Money Magazine as one of the top twenty small cities to live in America, St. Charles is known for its diverse and abundant neighborhoods, lively retail centers, recreational opportunities and excellent schools. St. Charles appeals to all ages and lifestyles and was featured in 2011 in the Washington Post’s “Where We Live” section and named by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation’s top bargains for places to retire. St. Charles invites you to like us on Facebook at St. Charles MD or visit us at http://www.stcharlesmd.com.
The St. Charles Companies includes American Community Properties Trust, The Apartments of St. Charles, American Land Development and St. Charles Community, LLC. The St. Charles Companies’ lines of business include the residential and commercial development of St. Charles, a 9,100 acre planned community in Charles County, Maryland and the ownership of an operating apartment portfolio of approximately 2,500 units in St. Charles.
Federal Capital Partners® (http://www.fcpdc.com) acquired The St. Charles Companies in December 2009 through its FCP Fund I, L.P. Federal Capital Partners (FCP) is a privately held real estate investment company that has invested in or financed more than $3.0 billion in assets since its founding in 1999. FCP is seeking debt and equity investments in commercial and residential real estate throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, including Washington DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware, West Virginia, New Jersey and the Carolinas. FCP buys assets directly as well as through joint ventures with local operating partners through equity, preferred equity or mezzanine debt investments. The firm, based in Chevy Chase, MD, manages $769 million of discretionary capital. FCP is currently investing its second fund, a $529 million commingled, discretionary fund closed in 2012.
Karen Widmayer, St. Charles Companies, http://www.stcharlesmd.com, 301-661-1448, [email protected]
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