1. Decide to apply. In accordance with FSC requirements, the forest owner decides to apply for certification of his operations and chooses to trust the certification body. Based on the forest owner's information, the certifier can determine the expected value of success.

2. Sign the contract. The certifying party and the certified party are required to sign a contract. Discussions about forest management, the forest management certification process, and the curriculum take place before signing the contract. Signed a contract with the company for a period of 5 years.

3. Pre-assessment. Usually certifiers perform a pre-assessment of forest management activities. This gives certifiers an initial understanding of the structure, management and environment of forest management activities. And forest owners are more familiar with the requirements of certifiers. The purpose of the pre-assessment is to obtain further information on the certified forest area from forest managers prior to the main assessment. It also helps certifiers to conduct assessments more effectively, so some relevant people need to be consulted.

4. Review management documents. In order for the certifier to understand the characteristics of the complete forest plan and management process, the forest owner provides the important documents required for the formal assessment in advance. This is the need for time-saving and efficient formal evaluation.

5. Formal evaluation. When pre-assessment failures are resolved, a company's on-site assessment can be planned. For countries that have established a forest certification (FSC) standard, the standard becomes the basis for the evaluation. For countries that have not yet developed Forest Certification (FSC) standards, certification bodies will use approved and adapted forest certification standards. Forest certification is not based on the current state of the forest, but on the control of the quality of forest management through continuous, regular monitoring. All activities during the assessment period include: forest management basis, personnel and detailed planning documents and interviews with relevant personnel. Then, discuss the results of the assessment with the program director. Based on the results of the assessment, the certifier draws up a report that includes suggested certification results or revisions to overcome deficiencies.

6. Reassessment. The certification report will be re-evaluated by 2-3 independent recognized experts. They will evaluate the work and reports of the accreditation body and submit the evaluation results to the accreditation decision-making committee for final evaluation.

7. Issuance and registration. If the above steps give a positive evaluation result, the forest enterprise will be awarded a certificate of conformity. If necessary, conditions that must be met before a certain period of time can be attached. It is necessary to strictly control the market activities engaged in the certification certificate and the activities of using the forest certification mark as a registered trademark.

8. Periodic review. During a defined period (usually once/year), certifiers conduct a brief and on-the-spot audit of forest management activities in order to check whether the management continues to meet the standards. The whole process of certification takes several months. The time mainly depends on the number of excluded conditions. The pre-assessment generally takes 1-2 days. Formal assessments take 2-14 days, depending on the size and complexity of the business. The steps described above are for forest management certification only and are only valid for the "forest" itself. Chain of custody certification is also required for the production and sale of products bearing the FSC logo using forest trees certified for forest management.