What is forest management certification?
As a forest manager or owner, certification is a way of ensuring that your careful and long-term forest management is recognized. Certification is voluntary. It involves an inspection of the forest management by an independent organization to check that it passes the internationally agreed FSC Principles and Criteria of good forest management. FSC accredited certification bodies certify and audit each individual forest management operation. If forest management is in full compliance with FSC requirements, the FSC certificate is awarded. If minor non-compliances are noted, the certificate can be issued with conditions that have to be met within a clearly determined time frame. If the forest management is not fully compliant with FSC requirements, preconditions are noted which have to be fulfilled before the FSC certificate can be awarded. FSC is the only global forest management certification system that requires regular yearly controls of each forest management operation certified to i
