• FSC’s forest management and conservation requirements
• FSC’s social justice and equity requirements
• FSC’s product procurement and labeling requirements
• Other important aspects of the FSC’s standards

FSC Attributes

Credible forest certification systems help consumers choose wood and paper products from forests that are managed to meet strict standards for environmentally and socially responsible forestry.

The FSC is the original international forest certification system.  It was created in 1993 by forest managers and producers, conservation groups, and labor, indigenous, and other social interest groups from North America and globally.  The FSC is supported and governed by a balance of business, environmental, and social interests, nationally and internationally, and remains the choice of most conservation groups that promote certification.

The FSC ensures that forests meet a set of globally applicable, independent, performance-based standards for ecologically, socially, and economically responsible forestry, i.e., the FSC Principles & Criteria (P&C).  The FSC also requires forests to meet Regional Standards that provide greater specificity, help implement the P&C, and address differences in regions’ forest ecosystems and economic and social contexts.

The FSC is designed to provide direct accountability, a guarantee that forests meet its standards on-the-ground, and a rigorous chain-of-custody system to verify that labeled products are connected to certified forests.  Independent certifiers accredited by the FSC verify whether forest managers follow the FSC’s standards.  Marketing claims are strictly controlled.

The FSC achieves both relevance to, and independence from, forestry interests through a standards development and governance system that vests equal control in three membership chambers:  environmental, social, and economic.  The FSC is also predominantly funded by independent sources.  

The FSC’s forest management and conservation standards:

• Require management for natural forest attributes and ecosystem function.
• Prohibit replacement of natural forests by ecologically-barren tree plantations, and require portions of existing plantations to be managed more naturally.
• Require protection measures for rare old growth in certified forests, and require protection of all other high conservation value forests.
• Require on-the-ground protection for all imperiled, threatened, and endangered species.
• Encourage forest practices that reduce the need for routine, intensive chemical use, and ban the most toxic chemicals.
• Prohibit replacement of forests by sprawl and other non-forest land uses.
• Prohibit logging levels that exceed forest growth levels.
• Prohibit use of genetically modified trees and other genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
• Require verification of compliance with all applicable laws and policies for forestry, land use, and resource protection.
• Address numerous other specific forest management considerations.

The FSC’s social standards:

• Protect indigenous peoples’ rights
• Require compliance with international labor standards.
• Encourage reinvestment and employment in local communities.
• Require verification of compliance with social and international laws and policies.

The FSC’s procurement and product labeling policies:

• Require product labels to disclose any non-certified content.
• Ensure that use of FSC labels is proportionate to the use of FSC certified wood and fiber.
• Exclude non-certified product content from controversial sources, e.g., illegal logging, logging of high conservation value forests, etc.

The FSC’s standards also:    

• Emphasize specific ecological outcomes and other “on-the-ground” requirements, rather than mere existence of company programs/plans that can have widely varying objectives.  
• Inherently requires field audits to determine compliance, and prohibits companies from modifying the standards used to certify them.
• Require stakeholder notification and consultation during certification audits.  
• Require peer review of all certification decisions.

For more information, see the FSC’s international Principles & Criteria, Regional Standards, and other policies and practices, at the FSC’s US, Canadian, and international websites.