In 2021, FSC Canada entered the final stage of the standard development process for our small-scale, low intensity and community forests standard which was then submitted to FSC International for approval.
As of December 2021, the draft standard was provisionally approved with 4 conditions. Since then, FSC Canada has been working diligently with the Standards Development Group to address these 4 conditions in anticipation of final approval.
While we continue to work on these 4 conditions, FSC Canada is releasing the draft standard to allow certificate holders to review sections that have been approved. We believe that by releasing the draft version now, Certificate Holders will be able to be better prepared for the final standard.
However, certificate holders should note that within this document there are sections that are shaded in grey which are currently under review and are subject to change. Existing certificate holders and potential certificate holders should continue to use the existing SLIMF standard(s) until the new standard has been released.
Over the next few months, FSC Canada will continue to work with FSC International to address the remaining 4 conditions and anticipate an approved standard in late 2022.
A copy o fthe draft standard can be found below.