Several Features of FSC FM Forest Management

    • Prohibit conversion of natural forests or other habitats

    • Prohibit the use of highly hazardous pesticides

    • Prohibition of planting of genetically modified tree species

    • Develop and adhere to a long-term and comprehensive forest management plan

    • Forest protection in high conservation value areas

    • Respect the welfare of local people and forestry workers

    • No corruption - comply with all applicable laws

    • Review certified forest management activities at least annually

     Forests are the world's most important wildlife habitat, and they also provide people with clean water and fresh air, food, fuel, wood and medicine.

 Forests play a significant role in combating global warming, sequestering carbon, and deforestation accounts for about 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. FSC certification plays a huge role in carbon storage, especially in relation to REDD, the mechanism for "reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and degradation".

    Forests are a renewable natural resource that, with proper management, can be used sustainably for the benefit of forest communities and people around the world. FSC is the fastest growing forest certification system in the world, with 8% of the world's timber forests and more than 10% of the pulp market being FSC certified.

As the public's attention to the status of the world's forests and wood sources increases, FSC certification has become an access condition for entering environmentally sensitive markets. More and more governments and leading companies specify FSC-certified materials in their procurement plans, and it has become a green pass for companies to export to the European and American markets.

    The driving force for FSC certification comes from consumers, which encourages sellers to increase the market share of good forest products and ultimately achieve good forest management. Consumers can fulfill their social responsibility for environmental protection by purchasing products bearing the FSC label.

    FSC Forest Management (FM) certification is a certification for forests or plantations. Yu.Jie wishes to demonstrate that forest managers or owners whose forestry activities are beneficial to society and managed in an environmentally appropriate and economically viable manner can apply for forest management certification.

    As an operator or owner, FSC certification is a way to ensure that you are recognized for the careful and long-term management of your forests. Certification is voluntary. It is inspected by an independent agency to verify that forest management has passed the internationally recognized FSC principles and standards that reflect good forest management.

     This allows the wood to be FSC-labeled and sold as an FSC-certified product. The FSC label indicates that the wood comes from a well-managed forest, enabling you to pass on the benefits of certification to your customers.

     FSC forest management certification also includes plantation forest certification. Clause 10 of the FSC Principles and Criteria deals specifically with planted forests. The FSC is currently reviewing the implementation of the FSC Plantation Principles and Criteria.

    1. What is forest certification?

    Forest certification is the abbreviation of sustainable forest management certification, also known as timber certification. It can be defined as the process of generating a written certificate, which is certified by an independent third party to certify the location and management of the forest that produces wood.

    2. Why carry out forest certification?

    In the past 20 years, the deforestation and mismanagement of forests by human beings have caused extensive forest decline, resulting in the scarcity of global forest resources, the deterioration of the ecological environment, and the serious threat to the space on which human beings depend. This issue has attracted the attention of people from all walks of life. They have taken various measures in an attempt to curb the decline of forests and forest area, but the effect is not obvious. In the 1990s, the sustainable management of forests was linked to the sales market for wood, and environmentally conscious consumers wanted to support sustainable forest management by purchasing only wood products from well-managed forests. Forest certification has emerged and flourished to adapt to this market mechanism.

    3. What is the purpose of forest certification?

    The main purpose of forest certification is firstly to improve the level of forest management and realize sustainable forest management; secondly, through forest certification, it can stabilize the existing market of forest products and promote their entry into new markets. Forest certification can also promote the participation of stakeholders related to forest certification in forest protection and sustainable forest management, promote the commercialization of forest services, help obtain financial support, reduce investment risks, and strengthen the implementation of regulations.

    4. What are the characteristics of forest certification?

    The most notable feature of forest certification is voluntary, which is different from the laws and regulations formulated by the state. Every citizen must abide by and implement laws and regulations, and certification is voluntary after the unit or individual requiring certification recognizes the necessity of certification. Second, forest certification is market-based, and as people's awareness of environmental protection increases, consumers are more and more willing to buy certified wood products. Certified timber products are more commercially competitive than non-certified products, which is an incentive for forest owners to voluntarily pursue forest certification. In addition, forest certification has the characteristics of independence, impartiality, transparency and reliability.

    5. What does forest certification include?

    Forest certification usually includes certification of sustainable forest management and certification of the chain of custody of forest products. Sustainable forest management certification is to evaluate the forest management and management of forest management units applying for certification in accordance with recognized principles and standards. The evaluation content includes forest investigation, management planning, forest management, logging, forest infrastructure, and relevant laws and regulations , as well as environmental, economic and social aspects. Chain of Custody certification for forest products is the certification of the entire process of forest products from the forest management at the origin, to the harvested logs and their transportation, processing, circulation to the final consumer. Yu.Jie believes that because the process of forest products from the forest of origin to the product and then to the final consumer forms a chain, the certification of forest products is also called the certification of the production and marketing chain of custody.

    6. What is the difference between forest certification and quality certification and quality inspection?

    Quality inspection is to prove whether a product meets certain quality standards by testing the performance indicators of a product. Quality certification is to evaluate whether the production process or technological process of the product is reasonable or conforms to certain standards or guidelines, and has nothing to do with product quality. Forest certification is to evaluate whether the forest management and production and circulation process meet specific requirements, regardless of the quality of the wood produced.

    7. What are the steps for forest certification?

    The process of forest certification is generally divided into 7 steps: pre-assessment, discussion with stakeholders, formal assessment, confirmation of assessment, issuance of certificate, re-assessment and labeling. Certificates issued are valid for 5 years and are subject to re-certification after expiry. The re-evaluation will be conducted every 6 months, and the certificate issued will be revoked if not qualified.

    8. How much does the forest certification cost?

    The cost of forest certification includes direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are the costs of certification itself, such as forest assessment and audit fees, salaries and travel expenses of certified personnel, etc., which are fixed. Indirect costs are the additional costs required to achieve certification standards, such as the costs of adjusting long-term forest management plans and forest operating procedures, improving forest management levels, and training production personnel. The cost depends on the forest management applying for certification. the operating level of the unit. The higher the level of forest management, the lower the indirect cost, so this cost is variable. According to certification experts, the direct cost of forest certification in European and American countries is 0.3 to 10 cents per hectare.

    9. Can forest certification increase the benefits of certified units?

    The answer is yes, although forest certification has costs, it also has benefits. Earnings include market and non-market profits, which are reflected in increased operator profits and market access for wood products. In environmentally conscious Europe today, consumers are committed to buying only certified wood and forest products from well-managed forests, even if these products cost more than uncertified products. As people's awareness of environmental protection increases, more consumers around the world will protect the forests that human beings depend on by purchasing certified products. Compared with non-certified products, the increase in the income of certified products is reflected in: the price of certified forest products is higher than that of non-certified products, the market competitiveness of certified products is improved, and the market scope of products is expanded, which increases the sales volume of its products .

    10. How many forest certification systems are there currently in the world?

    At present, there are two global forest certification systems in the world, namely the FSC system and the International Organization for Standardization system; two major regional systems, namely the Pan-European Forest Certification System and the Pan-African Forest Certification System; in addition, there are more than 10 national forest certification systems. Organizations that establish these certification systems are not directly involved in certification, their role is to set certification standards and authorize certification bodies to certify forests through authorized certification bodies.

    11. What is the current status of forest certification in my country?

    Forest certification is still in its infancy in my country. Most of the enterprises that have passed the FSC's production and marketing chain of custody certification are foreign-funded enterprises or Sino-foreign joint ventures, and their products are mainly small furniture. At present, 2 forest management units have conducted forest certification pre-assessment, and one of them has passed the main audit and obtained the FSC certificate. Due to the high price of certification, the lack of a certification body in my country and the lack of awareness of forest certification, there is still a long process to widely carry out forest certification in my country. However, with my country's entry into the WTO, in order to base my country's timber products on the international market and promote the protection and sustainable development of my country's forests, we must accelerate the pace of forest certification.