Forest Management Certification
FSC’s Forest Management certification is voluntary for forestry companies who want to demonstrate responsible forest management by having their forest management planning and practices independently evaluated against FSC’s forest management standards.
Benefits of certification
FSC certification can benefit your organization by:
- Sharing proven, best-in-practice solutions to help raise the standard of forest management
- Providing new market opportunities and tangible economic benefits for your business
- Meeting increased consumer expectations for responsible forest management
- Connecting you to a global network of like-minded organizations and businesses
- Demonstrating your support for 14 of 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Protecting forest ecosystems and helping fight climate change
Learn more from an FSC certified forest management company
Within one minute of meeting prospective customers, we share that we are FSC certified and some key indicators of our highly attractive carbon footprint. These two factors are key to our success in today's marketplace. - Frederic verrault, Executive Director, Corporate Development at Les Chantiers de Chibougamau Ltée
Who is eligible for FSCs forest management certification?
Forest management certification is applicable to all forest types and ownership structures:
- industrial or private forest owners
- forest license holders
- community forests
- government-managed forests
FSC also offers forest management certification for:
- Groups of forests under group certification.
- Small forests and forests that are managed at a low intensity under FSC's Small and Low Intensity Managed Forests program
5 Steps to FSC Certification
step
01
Contact a certification body
Contact one, or several, third party Certification Bodies who will provide an estimate regarding cost and timeline, The Certification Body will provide you with information about the requirements for FSC certification.
step
02
Application & agreement
When you decide which certification body you would like to work with, fill out an application form and sign an agreement with the certification body.
step
03
Complete an on-site audit
Complete an on-site certification audit where your selected certification body will assess your company’s qualifications for certification.
step
04
Certification approval
The data collected during the audit will be captured in an audit report. The certification body will make a certification decision based on the information in the report.
If the certification decision is positive, you will receive an FSC certificate.
If the audit reveals that your operation is not yet in full compliance with FSC requirements, you will receive specific corrective actions. These corrective actions will need to be addressed, at which time a further audit can be conducted.
step
05
Annual audit
The certification body will also conduct annual surveillance audits to verify your continued compliance with FSC certification requirements. FSC certificates are valid for five years.
Get started today
You also may be interested in