Forest management certification in the Americas: difficulties in complying with the requirements of the FSC system

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-188
Author(s):  
V. M. Basso ◽  
B.G. Andrade ◽  
L.A.G. Jacovine ◽  
E.V. Silva ◽  
R.R. Alves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
The United States ◽  
Forest Certification ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Environmental Requirements ◽  
Forest Stewardship ◽  
Audit Reports

'Forest management' aims to maintain forests as producers of goods and services, while ensuring their conservation for future generations. Forest certification has become one of the most widely used mechanisms to encourage and recognize this 'forest stewardship', with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) among the most well-known systems worldwide. FSC is widely used in several Management Units on the American Continent, which is home to large forest areas. Therefore, we evaluated the main difficulties in complying with the principles of the FSC standard in 18 American countries based on verification of non-conformities generated in the process. The data were obtained from information contained in the certification audit reports available on the FSC official website, covering all organizations with valid certificates from 1995 to 2013. We found that the United States presented the lowest mean of non-conformities per audit, which may indicate better capacity of managers to implement practices of its forestry activities. Regarding the deviation type, the United States and Canada presented higher indices in relation to the adequacy of the environmental impacts (P6) of their activities. Meanwhile, the greatest non-conformities in the Central and South America countries occurred in the labor and social area (P4), followed by environmental issues (P6). All organizations presented some type of non-compliance with the criteria set by the FSC and needed to adapt. The major difficulties encountered were related to compliance with environmental requirements. The need to implement corrective actions to maintain the certificate demonstrates a change of management influenced by the forest certification process, thus contributing to minimizing socio-environmental impacts resulting from forest operations.

scholarly journals Effects of forest certification towards sustainable community forestry in Nepal

1970 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pem N Kandel
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Community Forestry ◽  
Forest Certification ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
Community Forests ◽  
Sustainable Community ◽  
Forest Stewardship ◽  
Forest Users

In early 2005, 10,045 ha Community Forests (CFs) were certified in Bajhang and Dolakha districts of Nepal by using the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification scheme. After two years of forest certification, subsequent questions are being asked such as: What benefits have certification brought for the Forest Users Groups (FUGs)? What tangible differences are there in forest management system because of forest certification? and What lessons have been learnt from the certified forests? In an attempt to answer these questions, a study was carried out in April 2007 in Dolakha district where 11 (2,182 ha) community managed forests were certified in 2005. On the basis of field study from two certified forests (Vitteripakha and Suspa) of the district, this paper analyzes the effects of forest certification and its implications for enhancing Sustainable Community Forestry (SCF) in Nepal. Key words: Sustainable forest management, forest certification, community forestry Banko Janakari: A journal of forestry information for Nepal Vol.17(1) 2007 pp.11-16

scholarly journals Assessment and Monitoring Protocols to Guarantee the Maintenance of Biodiversity in Certified Forests: A Case Study for FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Forests in Southwestern Spain

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 705
Author(s):  
Antonio Sánchez-Almendro ◽  
Pablo Hidalgo ◽  
Rosario Galán ◽  
José Carrasco ◽  
Javier López-Tirado
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Forest Certification ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Assessment And Monitoring ◽  
High Conservation ◽  
Conservation Values ◽  
Forest Stewardship ◽  
Monitoring Protocols

(1) Biodiversity, sustainable development and nature conservation are fundamental issues nowadays. All companies, administrations, governments and international organisations take these issues into consideration. Sustainable forest management always requires a compromise between profitability and conservation and in this fragile equilibrium, forest certification plays a key scheme. This sustainable management is of great importance in the European Union (EU), with the Forest Stewardship Council playing a fundamental role in forest certification. This certification forms the basis of the ecosystem conservation and improvement strategy in Ence, Energía y Celulosa, the leading company dedicated to the production of eucalyptus in Spain; (2) A three-phase protocol (identification of High Conservation Values, assessment of conservation areas and monitoring program), has been developed, providing clear, objective criteria, particularly concerning FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Principle 9, the primary goal being the development and application of these objective criteria in the Ence conservation areas in the province of Huelva (Spain). One of the main criteria for habitat classification was correspondence with the habitats listed in Annex I of the Habitats Directive. The compatibility between forest exploitation management and conservation proposed by the Natura 2000 network encouraged us to use this methodology for the identification, classification and assessment of High Conservation Values considered in FSC forest certification: Principle 9; (3) The study encompasses 183 forest management units covering 52,022 ha, with a total of 11,847.45 ha being identified as High Conservation Value Areas. Through the identification and assessment of the conservation areas, the described methodology played a crucial role in demonstrating the positive impact of Ence’s certified forest management on the conservation of biological diversity; (4) This study demonstrates that an objective and reliable identification, assessment and monitoring methodology, with a proven high degree of accuracy in the location and characterisation of interesting and representative habitats in the region, can be implemented. Due to its objectivity, this strategy can be easily applied to other European sustainable forest management sites and possibly to other countries outside the EU.

The efficacy of forest certification: Perceptions of Canadian forest products retailers

2011 ◽  
Vol 87 (05) ◽  
pp. 636-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Chen ◽  
Anna Tikina ◽  
Robert Kozak ◽  
John Innes ◽  
Peter Duinker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Forest Certification ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
Market Place ◽  
Certified Wood ◽  
Forest Stewardship ◽  
Nation Wide Survey

A nation-wide survey of wood products retailers was conducted to examine their perceptions related to forest certification and its impacts in the market place. Four widely accepted forest certification standards were taken into account: International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) 14001, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Z809 Standard. The survey inquired about the economic impacts of forest certification, namely wood purchasing policies and the potential for price premiums on certified wood products. The responses indicated that most retailers had no particular purchasing policies for certified products. However, they reported up to a 20% price premium on certain certified products, although the number of consumers who request certified wood products was small (less than 10%). The retailers also indicated that the most important reasons for buying or selling certified forest products revolved around improved company image, being an environmental leader in the field, and maintaining or increasing market share. Finally, respondents felt that forest certification had minimal impacts on the social aspects of forest management, while the environmental and economic aspects of forest management were perceived to be subject to more marked changes.

scholarly journals A Comparative Analysis of Five Forest Certification Programs

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alba Rocio Gutierrez Garzon ◽  
Pete Bettinger ◽  
Jacek Siry ◽  
Jesse Abrams ◽  
Chris Cieszewski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
The Other ◽  
Forest Certification ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
International Expansion ◽  
Certification Programs ◽  
National Programs

International expansion of forest certification programs has occurred over the last three decades. Both public and private organizations have shown increased interest in becoming certified by one or more forest certification bodies, to assure the public that forest resources are managed adequately in sustaining forest health and socio-economic viability. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) program is globally used as a benchmark to implement forest certification at the national and regional levels. The Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) and the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) are also used throughout the United States. In Europe, individual countries such as Bulgaria and Turkey have also developed national forest certification programs. The SFI, ATFS and Bulgarian programs are further endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). The results of a qualitative analysis comparing the FSC forest certification program with the SFI, the ATFS, and the two European national programs (Bulgarian and Turkish) suggest that differences in these programs are not necessarily related to their language, but to the level of detail and prescriptiveness of each program. We find that the FSC is much more detailed and prescriptive in nearly all aspects considered for forest certification. In particular, we find that most of the elements considered in the FSC Principle 6 (Environmental Impact) are either only superficial, or not addressed at all, in the other four programs. Furthermore, the other programs appear to be less comprehensive and detailed in the substance of the FSC monitoring and assessment principles. In a few areas, the Turkish program requires more quantitative indicators for assessing forest management than the other programs. Though a comparison of the legal framework related to forest management in each of the studied countries was briefly introduced, our study focuses on the certification schemes themselves; it may contribute to policy discussions in the future development and implementation of other certification programs.

scholarly journals Procedural Factors Influencing Forest Certification Audits: An Empirical Study in Romania

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aureliu-Florin Hălălișan ◽  
Bogdan Popa ◽  
Iñaki Heras-Saizarbitoria ◽  
Olivier Boiral ◽  
Germán Arana-Landín ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Significant Influence ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Forest Certification ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
Process Outcomes ◽  
Environmentally Sensitive ◽  
External Audits ◽  
Forest Stewardship ◽  
Audit Reports ◽  
Audit Team

In the recent decades, forest certification based on third-party external audits has gained momentum. This type of certification has been developed as a monitoring tool aimed at improving governance in corporate environmental management and differentiating products in the increasing environmentally sensitive markets. Although the scholarly literature has extensively analyzed the adoption and dissemination of forest certification, the findings of the external audits and certification practices remain under researched. On the basis of the analysis of 105 audit reports issued by accredited third-party certification bodies in Romania, this article sheds light on procedural factors that have significant influence on the characteristics of non-conformities (NCs) identified by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) third party audits. Our research offers empirical evidence that certain procedural factors such as the type of assessment, auditing days, number of auditors, or the presence of foreign members in an audit team have a significant influence on the auditing process outcomes: number and grade of non-conformities, standard references, or methods of NC detection. The study opens interesting new lines of research—the influence of procedural or other types of contextual factors on certification outcomes—and provides indications on the effectiveness of the certification procedures and guidelines in certification process quality assurance.

scholarly journals PLANTAÇÕES FLORESTAIS E A PROTEÇÃO DE FLORESTAS NATIVAS EM UNIDADES DE MANEJO CERTIFICADAS NA AMÉRICA DO SUL PELOS SISTEMAS FSC E PEFC

FLORESTA ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Ribeiro Alves ◽  
Laércio Antônio Gonçalves Jacovine ◽  
Vanessa Maria Basso ◽  
Márcio Lopes da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
South America ◽  
Forest Plantations ◽  
Forest Certification ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
Forest Protection ◽  
The Public ◽  
Certification System ◽  
Native Forests ◽  
Forest Stewardship

A certificação florestal está presente no continente sul-americano desde 1995 e, desde então, tem se expandido por diversos países da região. Objetivou-se analisar a contribuição que as empresas com certificação de plantações florestais têm na proteção de florestas nativas na América do Sul pelos sistemas Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) e Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC). Foram consultados os resumos públicos das unidades de manejo florestal certificadas dos países da América do Sul, tanto os referentes à certificação de plantações florestais quanto de florestas nativas. Buscou-se a informação referente à área total certificada da unidade de manejo florestal, a área efetivamente implantada, a área de proteção florestal e a área destinada a outros usos. Tanto o FSC (40,9%) quanto o PEFC (34,4%), no Brasil, contribuíram mais para a proteção florestal, quando comparado com o FSC (22,4%) e o PEFC (22,9%) no Chile. Conclui-se que a certificação de plantações florestais exerce uma importante função na proteção florestal, notadamente em países como Brasil, Colômbia, Paraguai e Chile. Além disso, no Brasil as áreas destinadas à proteção florestal são superiores às do Chile, tanto pelo sistema de certificação FSC quanto pelo PEFC.Palavras-chave:Certificação florestal; proteção florestal; sistemas de certificação; manejo florestal. AbstractForest plantations and the protection of native forests in certified units management in South America by FSC and PEFC Systems. Forest certification is present in South America since 1995 and since then has expanded to various countries of the region. The objective was to examine the contribution that companies with certification of forest plantations, have the protection of native forests in South America for systems Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC). We consulted the public summaries of certified forest management units in the countries of South America, both for the certification of forest plantations on native forests. We sought information on the total area of certified forest management unit, the area effectively deployed, the protected area and forest area for other uses. Both FSC (40.9%) and PEFC (34.4%), Brazil, contributed more to the forest protection when compared with FSC (22.4%) and PEFC (22.9%) in Chile. We conclude that certification of forest plantations has an important role in forest protection, especially in countries like Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay and Chile. Moreover, in Brazil the areas intended for forest protection are higher than those of Chile, both the FSC certification system as PEFC.Keywords: Forest certification; forest protection; certification systems; forest management.

Trends in forest management in the United States

1994 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 546-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Ward Thomas
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
The United States ◽  
Forestry Practices ◽  
Forest Stewardship ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Timber Sale

Changes in forestry practices in the United States have been dramatic over the past decade. These changes have been brought about largely through government regulations promulgated in response to pressure from environmental and other groups at both federal and state levels. Historically, the federal government has taken leadership in forest stewardship, though some states have demonstrated strong initiatives over the years. Two separate, but intertwined, factors combined to alter the practice of forestry over much of the United States. There were the interactive consequences of obedience to national environmental laws, passed in the 1960s and 1970s, and a rising environmental consciousness among the majority of the minority of the citizenry who care about natural resource issues. Rising public concern was focussed in challenges in the federal courts to government forest management activities, and in terms of public relations campaigns using lobbying, demonstrations, and manipulation of the mass media. In July of 1993, President Clinton selected an option for management of federal forests in the Pacific Northwest section of the United States that dedicated 9.28 million acres (3.75 million hectares) of federal forests to reserves to be managed for late-successional/old-growth ecosystem function and riparian/fisheries protection. This reduced the anticipated timber sale levels from the 2.4 billion board feet (5.7 million m3) cut annually in 1990-1992, to 1.2 billion board feet (2.8 million m3) projected for 1994. There is an ongoing shift in management philosophy toward "ecosystem management" of forested lands with increasing attention to aesthetics and more benign environmental effects of timber management.

scholarly journals Contribution of Forest Stewardship Council Certification to Sustainable Forest Management of State Forests in Selected Southeast European Countries

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 648
Author(s):  
Špela Pezdevšek Malovrh ◽  
Dženan Bećirović ◽  
Bruno Marić ◽  
Jelena Nedeljković ◽  
Stjepan Posavec ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Forest Certification ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Forest Management Practices ◽  
Forest Stewardship

In recent decades, the concept of forest certification under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has been widely adopted in selected Southeast European countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia). As sustainability is traditionally recognised as a leading principle in the forest management doctrine in these countries, the aim of this study was to understand whether, and how, FSC forest certification contributes to the sustainable management of state forests. The research was carried out in two phases. First, in order to assess forest management compliance with FSC standard, non-conformities for the period 2014–2018, identified in audit Public Summary Reports, were analysed in all public companies that managed state-owned forests in selected countries. Further, in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the professionals responsible for forest certification in these companies were conducted (n = 11) to determine the contribution of forest certification to the economic, ecological, and social aspects of sustainable forest management. In total, 185 non-conformities were analysed. The results showed that FSC certification was successful in addressing certain problems in forest management practices and contributed to sustainable forest management, mainly covering social and ecological issues. The most frequently identified non-conformities were those related to FSC Principle 4 Community relations and worker’s rights (32.3% of all non-conformities) and Principle 6 Environmental impact (30.4% of all non-conformities). The contribution of FSC certification to sustainable forest management is mainly reflected in the following aspects: Worker’s rights; health and safety of employees; availability of appropriate personal protective equipment; consultation with local people and interest groups; awareness of environmental impacts of forestry operations; waste disposal and storage of fuel; improving the image of forest companies and maintenance of high-conservation-value forests. The majority of non-conformities were minor and required procedural changes to be closed. Moreover, there are no statistically significant differences between the countries with regard to the number of non-conformities for all principles. It can be concluded that FSC certification, as a market-driven mechanism, plays an important role by influencing forest management practices and business operations of public forest companies in a positive manner.

scholarly journals Forest certification in Russia: development, current state and problems

2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Lukashevich ◽  
Ilya Shegelman ◽  
Aleksey Vasilyev ◽  
Mariia Lukashevich
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Economic Incentives ◽  
National Standard ◽  
Forest Certification ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
Wood Processing ◽  
Chain Of Custody ◽  
Forest Stewardship ◽  
Forest Legislation

Abstract The article analyzes the development of voluntary forest certification by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) system in Russia. The article is based on the review of diverse information sources, analysis of the reports of timber processing enterprises, personal observations during certification audits, discussions in workgroups, and information collected at training courses. We evaluated the present state of voluntary forest certification in Russia, analyzed non-compliances of the activity of Russian wood processing enterprises with the national standard FSC-STD-RUS-V6-1-2012 and indicated possible reasons for non-fulfillment of the requirements. We also presented problems in the development of forest certification in Russia and possible ways for its further development. By the end of 2015, about 40 million hectares were certified, approximately 160 certificates were issued on forest management and 440 certificates on chain of custody. The 6th principle of the national forest management standard is the most problematic for logging enterprises. The principle concerns the requirements on the evaluation of impact of enterprise’s activity on the environment. About 40% of non-compliances identified by auditors referred to the indicators of the 6th principle. We argue that the main problems of forest certification development in Russia are contradictions between the principles and the criteria of FSC and the requirements of Russian forest legislation, retention of biodiversity and high conservation value forests, lack of economic incentives for introduction and implementation of certification requirements, and high cost of audits. Despite the existing problems, the certification remains one of the most important instruments for achieving sustainable forest management in Russia.

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