FSC Certified Wood Products and the Timber Business

Even though certification is accomplished on a volunteer-basis, the FSC has considerably impacted the forest industry. By year 2008, FSC certified forests spanned hundred million hectares (7% of the world's productive forests) in more than seventy-nine countries. At FSC's inception, a lot of companies were by now following FSC-type standards, and they rapidly joined the council to demonstrate their commitment to the cause. The triumph of the FSC's pleasing logo encourages other companies to improve their sustainable administration practices.

Therefore, what does it take to obtain the rest of the woodland industry on board? If FSC-endorsed products get market share, it will produce an economic incentive for the remaining wholesalers, retailers, and suppliers to get certification. As the green trend continues, more individuals purchase products from companies that show dedication to dependable practices.

To exemplify market share & customer preference, let us look at tests performed in Home Depot stores in Oregon. This assessment set up bins of FSC-certified timber alongside safe timber showed that clients largely favored the FSC product when both are very similar price. When the FSC wood was two percent more costly, 37 % of clients still chose the FSC wood. This is particularly noteworthy considering the low profile that FSC has in the United States. In several countries like the Netherlands, public service announcements have aided increase customer awareness & preference for FSC products. The more and more environmentally-aware customer has contributed to what FSC estimates is 20 dollars billion worth of sales in licensed products.

Much of FSC's triumph depends on whether retailers hoard certified products. Home Depot, the world's major retailer of wood, has announced a fondness for FSC wood. Even though the corporation wanted to exclusively vend FSC-certified timber, the supply isn't keeping up with the demand. Lowes, the second biggest retailer of wood, and IKEA, the furniture company, have as well shown support. Impetus is picking up so that Home Depot & other stores are at the present pressuring their timber suppliers to seek FSC certification.

In general, the incentive for certification seems to be mounting, which says something concerning the FSC's influence on woodland products.

FSC Standards for Certification

One thing to keep in mind about the FSC is that it simply forms standards. The association doesn't issue certifications, but it accredits 3rd-party agencies that perform audits & grant certifications to eligible parties. At the time of this editorial, there are twelve certifying agencies all over the world.

FSC Certified Wood Products

The FSC has set together standards to appraise forest management on social, environmental, and economic issues. Certifying agencies employ these criteria and principles to judge forest management & chain of custody procedures. For forest stewardship generally, the FSC's values are as follows with an outline of their criteria:

Compliance with FSC Principles and laws: Practices should adhere to confined laws as well as these values.

Tenure & use responsibilities and rights: Rights to use the land must be in order.

Indigenous individual’s rights: Ensure legal and fair cooperation with native societies.

Community relations & worker's rights: Local inhabitants needs job opportunities & workers need right to systematize & have fair compensation and safety regulations.

Benefits from the forest: Forest needs to be utilized responsibly and efficiently, while plummeting operations waste.

Environmental impact: Efforts should promote biodiversity, keep away from certain pesticides & consider other ecological factors that may be affected by use.

Management plan: The operation's plans and details must be apparent, including ecological policies & descriptions of techniques and resources.

Monitoring and assessment: Should conduct episodic reviews of the state of the forest's productivity & changes in addition to assessments of harvesting impacts & economic factors, like costs.

Maintenance of high conservation value forests: You may take special precautions for those forests of high maintenance value.

Plantations: Management of plantations (several areas where trees are mature like crops) need to adhere to these values as well, & promote sustainable forests’ use.