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

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.

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Forest management certification around the world –Progress and problems

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc2011-067 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 87 (05) ◽

pp. 603-611 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Tony Rotherham

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

Forest Products ◽

Forest Certification ◽

Managed Forests ◽

Forest Stewardship Council ◽

The Public ◽

Certification Programs ◽

Management Standards ◽

The World ◽

Forest Stewardship

Certification to approved forest management standards is a recognized business practice. There are two international forest certification programs: the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The common objective of both is to improve forest management and provide assurance to the public and customers that forest products come from sustainably managed forests and not from illegal operations. As of June 2011 there were approximately 372 million ha of certified forests around the world. There are 234 million ha of forests in 26 countries that have been certified to standards approved by PEFC. There are143 million ha of forest certified to FSC standards in 81 countries. In 20 of these countries, with101 million ha (70%), the forests have been certified to standards approved by FSC. In the remaining 61 countries, 42 million ha (30%), the forests have been certified to draft or “interim standards” that have not gone through the FSC approval process. Consumers have no way of knowing whether the wood or paper products with an FSC label are from forests certified to FSC-approved standards or to “interim standards” developed by FSC certification bodies.

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Effects of forest certification towards sustainable community forestry in Nepal

Banko Janakari ◽

10.3126/banko.v17i1.654 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 11-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

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

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Does forest certification conserve biodiversity?

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s0030605303000346 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 153-165 ◽

Cited By ~ 93

Author(s):

R. E. Gullison

Keyword(s):

Biodiversity Conservation ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Market Access ◽

Forest Products ◽

Forest Certification ◽

Managed Forests ◽

Forest Stewardship Council ◽

Tropical Countries ◽

High Conservation ◽

Forest Stewardship

Forest certification provides a means by which producers who meet stringent sustainable forestry standards can identify their products in the marketplace, allowing them to potentially receive greater market access and higher prices for their products. An examination of the ways in which certification may contribute to biodiversity conservation leads to the following conclusions: 1) the process of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certification generates improvements to management with respect to the value of managed forests for biodiversity. 2) Current incentives are not sufficient to attract the majority of producers to seek certification, particularly in tropical countries where the costs of improving management to meet FSC guidelines are significantly greater than any market benefits they may receive; available incentives are even less capable of convincing forest owners to retain forest cover and produce certified timber on a sustainable basis, rather than deforesting their lands for timber and agriculture. 3) At present, current volumes of certified forest products are insufficient to reduce demand to log high conservation value forests. If FSC certification is to make greater inroads, particularly in tropical countries, significant investments will be needed both to increase the benefits and reduce the costs of certification. Conservation investors will need to carefully consider the biodiversity benefits that will be generated from such investments, versus the benefits generated from investing in more traditional approaches to biodiversity conservation.

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Possible impact of forest product certification on the worldwide forest environment

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc75208-2 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 75 (2) ◽

pp. 208-212 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Marc-André Côté

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

Market Access ◽

Forest Products ◽

Wood Products ◽

Forest Product ◽

Wood Product ◽

Forest Certification ◽

Forest Environment ◽

Product Certification ◽

Marketing Tool

Supporters of forest and wood product certification are generally seeking to improve forest management and to ensure market access to forest products. Although wood products certification can be seen as an interesting marketing tool, it is doubtful whether it will improve forest management at the international level. Forest and wood product certification is already seen as a complementary tool to other existing instruments such as regulations and subsidies. However, a closer analysis shows that certification could be focused on the wrong countries, management units, scales of management, actors and problems to be potentially effective. This article aims to assess the possible impact of certification processes on the worldwide forest environment. The identification of possible limitations of forest product certification process could help to make that instrument more effective. Key words: forest certification, environmental impact

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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 ◽

10.3390/f9110705 ◽

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.

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Analisis Rantai Pemasaran Kayu Sertfikasi FSC Di Kabupaten Kulon Progo

Jurnal Nasional Teknologi Terapan (JNTT) ◽

10.22146/jntt.39167 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 169

Author(s):

Wiyono Wiyono ◽

Silvi Nur Oktalina ◽

Rochmat Hidayat

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

Large Scale ◽

Sustainable Forest Management ◽

Small Scale ◽

Forest Certification ◽

Forest Stewardship Council ◽

Community Forest ◽

Wood Processing ◽

Certified Wood ◽

Marketing Chain

Forest certification is a market-based policy instrument aimed to ensuring that any traded timber is legal and derived from sustainably managed forests. Forest certification is not only applied to large scale forest management but also small scale such as community forest. This study aims: (1) to know the pattern of marketing chain of certified timber; (2) to know the actors involved in the marketing of certified timber; (3) to know the marketing constrains of certified timber faced by farmers. This research was conducted at Wana Lestari Menoreh Cooperative (KWLM) in Kulon Progo Regency. KWLM is a community forest cooperative that has successfully obtained a certificate of sustainable forest management with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard since 2011. Data collection is done by: (1) in-depth interviews to actors involved in marketing of certified wood; (2) observation of each stage of certified timber marketing chain; (3) study documents related to marketing chain of certified timber. Data then analyzed descriptive method. The results show that: (1) the pattern of marketing chain of certified wood is simpler than non certified timber; (2) The actors involved in the marketing chain of certified timber are farmers, harvester, cooperation, PT SOBI, wood processing industry; (3) The major constraint faced by farmers in marketing of certified timber is a payment that do not made in cash as done by non-certified timber trader.

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Revising Theories of Nonstate Market-Driven (NSMD) Governance: Lessons from the Finnish Forest Certification Experience

Global Environmental Politics ◽

10.1162/glep.2007.7.1.1 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 1-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

Benjamin Cashore ◽

Elizabeth Egan ◽

Graeme Auld ◽

Deanna Newsom

Keyword(s):

Forest Products ◽

Forest Sector ◽

Forest Certification ◽

Certification Program ◽

Environmental Groups ◽

Forest Stewardship Council ◽

Forest Practices ◽

Market Driven ◽

Forest Stewardship ◽

Commercial Forest

We assess the ability of Cashore, Auld, and Newsom's theoretical framework on “Nonstate Market-Driven” (NSMD) governance to explain the emergence of and support for forest certification in Finland. In contrast to Sweden's experience, the environmental group-initiated international forest certification program, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), failed to gain significant support. Instead, the commercial forest sector created and adopted the Finnish Forest Certification Program, which domestic and international environmental groups ultimately rejected as inadequate. The NSMD framework must better incorporate two key findings. First, the dependence of international markets on the targeted country's forest products can shape domestic certification choices. We found that the largely non-substitutable qualities of Finnish paper products gave the domestic sector greater leeway in responding to international pressures. Second, whether the FSC is being championed primarily to influence a country's domestic forestry debates or indirectly as a lever with which to improve forest practices elsewhere appears to permeate the forest sector's overall receptiveness to the FSC.

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

International Forestry Review ◽

10.1505/146554820829403478 ◽

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.

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

FLORESTA ◽

10.5380/rf.v41i1.21195 ◽

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.

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Sustainability certification and legality verification in Indonesian natural forest-based wood products value chains

International Forestry Review ◽

10.1505/146554821833992839 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. 365-391

Author(s):

D. Susilawati ◽

P.J. Kanowski

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

Sustainable Forest Management ◽

Field Performance ◽

Wood Products ◽

Natural Forest ◽

Assessment System ◽

Value Chains ◽

Natural Forests ◽

Forest Stewardship Council ◽

Forest Stewardship

Indonesian natural forest concessions and value chains are governed by a mandatory Timber Legality Verification System (SVLK), which includes assessment of Sustainable Production Forest Management (PHPL). Concessionaires and processors may also pursue voluntary forest certification. This study explores actors' compliance with these instruments along wood product value chains originating primarily from natural forests. Empirical results demonstrate that SVLK fostered legality compliance in domestic as well as export value chains, but still allows some possible loopholes. It is easier for actors to comply with SVLK than with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, because SVLK has less stringent requirements, and uses an assessment system that allows poor field performance and does not foster continuous improvement of practices. These results identify weaknesses in the architecture and implementation of the regulatory instruments, and suggest measures to strengthen Indonesia's sustainable forest management and timber legality systems.

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