Forest certification

Revision as of 06:38, 25 June 2022

Certification of forest management might be defined as “an established and recognised procedure which results in a certificate confirming the quality of forest management in relation to a set of predetermined standards, based on an independent (third party) assessment.” (Baharuddin and Simula, ITTO, December 1997).

The two most well known forest certification labels are the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) which is an international mark and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) which is a European standard. For more information on these, visit the pages directly. Whilst it is generally accepted these schemes are an important tool in the management of forests and the primary check mechanism both in Europe and Internationally they are not perfect and are not without criticism.

It should also be noted that, although arguably the most established, FSC and PEFC certification schemes are not the only schemes in existence, many country level schemes also exist, (recognised to varying degrees by both FSC / PEFC) as well as other certification schemes.

Although many certification schemes are voluntary they may also directly or indirectly relate to guidelines, laws, regulations, terms and acronyms, so firstly some of these re outlined below:

EUTR - European Union Timber Regulation aims to counter illegal logging and associated trade in timber and timber products in the member states of the European Union, and ultimately contribute to sustainable management of forests and reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation beyond EU borders.

FLEGT - Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade. The EU's FLEGT Action Plan was established in 2003. It aims to reduce illegal logging by strengthening sustainable and legal forest management, improving governance and promoting trade in legally produced timber.

FAO UN -Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations applies the Forest Principles, which were included in Chapter 11 of Agenda 21, adopted by nations at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.

SFM - Sustainable Forest Management is defined by the UN as“dynamic and evolving concept, which aims to maintain and enhance the economic, social and environmental values of all types of forests, for the benefit of present and future generations.”

FSC - Forest Stewardship Council

PEFC - Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification

LegalSource - is a registered trademark owned by Preferred by Nature. As a LegalSource certificate holder, you may use this trademark in promotional claims and statements, providing you comply with our trademark requirements.

You may also use the LegalSource Certified claim and label to promote products covered by your certificate or to underpin your organisation's commitment to legal timber sourcing.

Note: The LegalSource trademark is not eligible for on-product use.

SBP - Sustainable Biomass Program

RSPO - Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil

Carbon Footprint Services

Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable Rice Platform

Sustainable Tourism

SmartLogging

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