Forestry Certification
An increasing number of customers of timber products are required to ensure that a certain percentage of the timber that they are processing is sourced from a forest that has been certified. These customers are therefore choosing timber that comes from operations that show a commitment to sustainable forest management.
Benefits of Certification
The current social trend of social and environmental responsibility is on the increase. Companies nowadays must show an increasing awareness of their impact on the environment and of the sustainability of the resources that they are consuming. Public concern is also growing on the state of the world’s forest and timber resources.
Forest certification is recognised worldwide and states that the forest is of high quality timber, has been managed focused on sustainability and has used environmentally responsible practices.
Getting certified means that you know and any potential buyers of your timber that your forest has been managed correctly.
3 types of Certification
- Forest Management Certification
Forest managers and owners who wish to prove that their forest operations are socially beneficial and managed in an environmentally proper and economically viable way can apply for forest management certification. - Chain of custody certification
The chain of custody certification is for the companies that manufacture, process or trade in timber products. This certification traces the timber through the production chain to ensure that the timber products come from responsibly produced raw materials. It also ensures that companies are fully compliant with the sourcing and procurement policies that they have to adhere to. - Controlled Wood
To allow manufactures to use both certified and non-certified timber sources in the production of goods the certification of Controlled wood was introduced. The proportion of mixing is strictly regulated on input and output based systems which permits the trader to offer verified FSC claims based on the proportion of FSC-certified pure material. This ensures that companies will avoid illegal timber and timber produced in socially and environmentally damaging ways.