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A B O U T  F S C  C E R T I F I C A T I O N

Look for the certifying stamp to distinguish between "greenwashed" and genuine ecological forest products.

Today, a growing number of timber producers and traders are making environmental claims. Some are accurate, but others are misleading or exaggerated. How can you, the consumer, distinguish a genuine ecological forest product from one that has been "greenwashed"? The answer is credible, independent certification for forestry and forest products

The Certification Process
Forest certification is a voluntary process that ensures consumers that the wood products they buy were grown and harvested in a way that protects forests for the long term. Certifiers assess the on-the-ground forest practices of a given operation against a stringent set of environmental and social criteria. Operations that meet those standards may identify their products as originating from a well-managed source. The certifier also tracks the "chain of custody" of the certified wood to ensure that it is kept separate from non-certified material at each stage of processing and distribution from forest to finished products.

Organizations
The Forest Stewardship Council is a not-for-profit organization that accredits certifiers whose programs conform to its internationally recognized Principles and Criteria, thereby providing a consistent and credible framework for independent certification efforts worldwide. The two major certifying agencies in the U.S. are SmartWood and Scientific Certification Systems. The Certified Forest Products Council promotes and facilitates the increased purchase, use and sale of third-party independently certified forest products, providing among other services a complete list of FSC certified companies and a searchable database of certified products.

The FSC certification process enjoys the support of most major environmental groups, including World Wildlife Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, Rainforest Alliance, Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, and World Resources Institute.

In order to be certified, a company must:

• Meet all applicable laws
  
• Have legally established rights to harvest
  
• Respect indigenous rights
  
• Maintain community well-being
  
• Conserve economic resources
  
• Protect biological diversity
  
• Have a written management plan
  
• Engage in regular monitoring
  
• Maintain high conservation value forests
  
• Manage plantations to alleviate pressures on natural forests