National Controlled Wood Risk Assessment Update

At the 2011 FSC General Assembly, the FSC Membership passed Policy Motion 51 to ‘Strengthen the Controlled Wood System’. The motion includes a revision of the Controlled Wood Standard (FSC-STD-40-005), an evaluation of existing risk assessments, the phase-out of company developed Risk Assessments and the development of FSC National Risk Assessments (NRAs).

February 23, 2015

In response, FSC Canada has formed the NRA Working Group to provide strategic and technical input into the development of Canada’s National Risk Assessment.

The NRA Working Group will work to ensure that FSC Canada’s National Risk Assessment is aligned with FSC International’s Centralized National Risk Assessment (CNRA) Process; critical concepts such as Free, Prior and Informed Consent and Intact Forest Landscapes are in-line with Forest Management Standard Revision; risk determinations are completed for all 5 Controlled Wood categories; and proactive input is received from stakeholders with the ultimate goal of achieving consensus.

By Spring/Summer 2015, FSC Canada plans to have the first draft of the National Risk Assessment ready for public consultation. During this time, FSC Canada will hold webinars in French and English detailing the proposed risk for each category and solicit feedback.

FSC Canada intends to have a National Risk Assessment in place by the end of 2015, Controlled Wood certificate holders will need to follow FSC Canada’s National Risk Assessment beginning in 2016. To stay informed, sign up for FSC Canada’s Standards & Policy News.

For more information, visit the National Risk Assessment section on FSC Canada’s website or contact Orrin Quinn, Western Canada Manager at o.quinn@ca.fsc.org or 250-616-0732.