In this webinar, members had the chance to ask the candidates questions, ask about their position on relevant topics, and their vision for the future of FSC under their leadership.
This two-day meeting covered relevant FSC topics for members in North America, including:
FSC Global Strategic Plan & Implementation Framework
FSC Priorities in North America
General Assembly Update
Thematic Discussions on topics including: solid wood market development; climate & ecosystem services; showcasing additional value for certificate holders and more.
The Technical Working Group on the MIX label and Controlled Wood statements was established in December 2019. The work of the Group supports the implementation of the Controlled Wood Strategy. Action 4.1 and 4.2. of the strategy relate to changing the MIX label text to reinforce truth in labelling and allowing FSC-certified organizations to communicate about controlled wood.
The proposals of the Technical Working Group responsible for reviewing the FSC Mix label text and developing controlled wood statements are now available for public consultation. The deadline to participate is 6 April 2020.
Malaysian environmentalist, Anthony Sebastian, has been appointed as the Chairman of the International Board of Directors of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Sebastian’s term of office runs from 10 November 2014 to 10 November 2015.
FSC is seeking candidates for a technical working group to revise its Forest Management Evaluations Standard and its associated addenda. The call for applicants is open until 20 November 2020.
A public consultation on the PSU Review Report of the FSC-STD-01-003 V1.0, SLIMF Eligibility Criteria was launched on 12 March 2021. FSC asks stakeholders to give their feedback by 11 April 2021.
The revised FSC National Forest Stewardship Standard (NFSS) for Sweden applies to all forest types, including small and low-intensity managed forests. It will become effective on 1 October 2020.
All stakeholders are invited to comment on the first draft of the FSC Core Labour Requirements in the Chain of Custody Certification and Chain of Custody Evaluations Standards. The consultation closes on 30 March 2020.
The review report of the FSC-PRO-30-006 V1-2 Ecosystem Services Procedure: Impact Demonstration and Market Tools is now available for public consultation until 09 January 2022 and can be accessed here. We invite all stakeholders to provide feedback.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) announces the withdrawal of the remaining forest management certificates in Russia by the respective certification bodies. This is due to the decision by Assurance Services International (ASI) to terminate its FSC assurance activities in Russia.
The present document contains certification requirements for certifying forest operations from smallholders in plantations in Vietnam, developed in accordance with FSC's normative document for the development and maintenance of FSC Forest Stewardship Standards. Revisions of FSC Forest Stewardship Standards are ongoing, and all existing standards will be transferred to the revised Principles & Criteria version 5-2. All standards are valid until replaced by a new FSC Forest Stewardship Standard.
FSC had decided to waive the Annual Administration Fee (AAF) for all types of certifications in Ukraine from Q2/2022 until the end of Q4/2024, regardless of their certification status.
In August 2024, FSC decided to reinstate the AAF for certifications in Ukraine starting 01 January 2025 in a phased approach.
This Advice Note serves to implement this decision.
The following requirements aim to ensure that the certification body decision making entity has sufficient information on which to base its decisions with respect to conformity with FSC forest stewardship standards, and to help FSC ensure that there is consistency in decision making between different certification bodies.
FSC Remedy Framework defines permanent and effective measures required for remedy of harm caused by unacceptable activities as defined by the Policy for the Association of Organizations with FSC V2-0 or by conversion between 1 December 1994 and 31 December 2020.
Depending on when the unacceptable activity occurs/occurred, FSC will determine which policy version is used as the point of reference. If the unacceptable activity occurred prior to 2023, version 2-0 of the policy will be applied, whereas if the unacceptable activity occurs in 2023 or beyond, version 3-0 of the Policy for Association will be applied. To access Policy for Association, version 2-0, click here . The Policy for Association is an expression of the values shared by individuals and organizations associated with FSC. It defines six unacceptable activities that associated individuals and organizations and their corporate group commit to avoid in both certified and non-certified operations. The Policy for Association serves as a risk management tool for FSC, protecting the credibility and reputation of the FSC brand and organizations associated with it.
Completed NRA for Chile.This document is an assessment of the risk of sourcing material from unacceptable sources in a given country, developed according to FSC-PRO-60-002 V3-0 EN The Development and Approval of FSC National Risk Assessments.This risk assessment shall be used when implementing FSC-STD-40-005 V3-1 EN Requirements for Sourcing FSC Controlled Wood.Please Note: Certificate holders have until 04 September 2020 to adapt their due diligence system to include the changes brought about by FSC-NRA-CL V1-0. The CNRA will remain available for download until that date. ++ Click here to submit a change request for this FSC risk assessment ++
The objective of this document is to specify the requirements for FSC-accredited certification bodies for developing Interim National Standard (INS) or Interim Regional Standard (IRS), depending on the geographic scope of the standard, for the certification of responsible forest management and the responsible management of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) at the Management Unit (MU) level. These standards shall be based on the International Generic Indicators (IGI) and shall address the regional, national or sub-national conditions in which they are to be used and shall consider input from local stakeholders. The FSC Board of Directors at FSC International, acting through the Policy Steering Group (PSG) shall approve Interim National Standards (INS) before they can be used for FSC certification purposes. In March 2020 the revised procedure was published to reflect the FSC Board of Directors’ decision during their 82nd meeting to delegate the approval of INS to the Policy Steering Group.