The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was created in 1993. Since then, other forestry certification systems have been created, but none come close to being as credible or effective at conserving forest resources as the FSC.
FSC/SFI Comparisons
FSC/SFI Comparisons
“SFI Lacks Elements of Credible Certification.” Factsheet highlighting where the SFI fails to include important elements of the FSC. October, 2006.
“Forest Certification: Sustainable Forestry or Misleading Marketing? Forest Certification Systems Still Not Equal.” Article summarizing important differences between the SFI and FSC. igreenbuild.com, March, 2005.
Factsheet highlighting the findings of the Meridian Institute comparative analysis of the FSC and SFI. American Lands Alliance, October 26, 2001.
“Comparative Analysis of the Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative Certification Programs.” Executive Summary. Meridian Institute, October, 2001.
“Similarities and Differences: FSC and SFI.” Presentation from Forest Leadership Forum. National Wildlife Federation, April 25, 2002.
Additional FSC/SFI Comparisons
“A Landscape-Level Geographic Information System (GIS) Analysis of Streamside Management Zones on the Cumberland Plateau.” Table 1 compares the stream protection requirements of SFI and FSC. Lemoine, D., J. Evans, & C. Smith, Journal of Forestry, April/May 2006.
“Forest Certification of State and University Lands in North Carolina: A Comparison.” “…FSC required about the same environmental system changes [as SFI] but more forest management changes to favor future natural stand management and biodiversity protection….” Cubbage, F., S. Joseph Cox, et al., Journal of Forestry, December 2003.
“Forest Certification Programs: A Comparison of the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) of the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA)." Includes a summary of results from Pinchot Institute studies. Natural Resources Defense Council, April, 2002.
“Certification on Public and University Lands: Evaluations of FSC and SFI by the Forest Managers.” “…The FSC…was consistently rated higher in the following aspects: more comprehensive overall; more thorough coverage of biological, ecological, and social issues in the standards, field auditing, and final reporting; more rigorous in requiring attention to stakeholder concerns.” Sample, V., W. Price, & C. Mater, Journal of Forestry, December, 2003.
“Comparison of Two Forest Certification Systems and Oregon Legal Requirements.” Study comparing the FSC and SFI. R. Fletcher et al., College of Forestry, Oregon State University, December 15, 2001.
“Weyerhaeuser Dispute Highlights Sustainability Certification Troubles.” Inside Green Business, 5/3/2006.
FSC/SFI/Other System Comparisons
“Choosing Forest Certification for Environmentally Responsible Forest Products.” Text and charts from poster comparing FSC, SFI, and CSA. World Wildlife Fund, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, et al, November, 2004.
“Public Procurement and Forest Certification: Assessment of the Implications for Policy, Law, and International Trade; Comparison of Major Certification Schemes: FSC, PEFC, CSA, MTCC, and SFI.” Includes a comparison of the five systems and their implementation. Ecologic Institute for International and European Policy, Berlin, www.ecologic.de, 2006.
“Footprints in the Forest: Current Practice and Future Challenges in Forest Certification.” A comprehensive comparison of the FSC, SFI, CSA, and other internationally prominent certification systems. Press release and full report available. FERN, February, 2004.
“On the Ground, Forest Certification: Green Stamp of Approval or Rubber Stamp of Destruction?” Provides case study comparisons of the FSC, CSA, and SFI systems. Commissioned by ForestEthics, Greenpeace, and Sierra Club Canada, 2003.
“Governing Through Markets: Forest Certification and the Emergence of Non-state Authority—Appendix.” 2004. Charts comparing the FSC, SFI, CSA, and Tree Farm. Cashore, B., G. Auld, D. & D. Newsome, Yale University Press, New Haven.
“Parallel Field Testing of Forest Certification Standards.” In the region where both FSC and SFI were tested (Canadian Maritimes), UPM complied with all SFI requirements but only 60% of FSC requirements, suggesting the SFI standards are less rigorous and endorse status quo forestry practices. UPM Forestry & Wood Sourcing, Environmental Forestry Affairs, May, 2005.
“Natural Capital Expenditures: Forestry,” in “The Nature Audit.” Comparison of provincial forestry rules, certification, and sustainable forest management (SFM) indicators found that the greatest performance came with the addition of FSC certification, and that “[o]nly when combined with FSC certification did two jurisdictions…meet more than 80% of SFM policy indicators….” Report 1-2003, World Wildlife Fund Canada, 2003.
Additional FSC/SFI/Other System Comparisons
“Choosing Forest Certification for Environmentally Responsible Forest Products.” Background information for poster comparing FSC, SFI, and CSA. American Lands Alliance, November, 2004.
“An Introduction to Forest Certification.” Rickenbach, M., et al, Oregon State University Extension, July, 2000.
“Chain of Custody and Eco-Labelling of Forest Products: A Review of the Requirements of the Major Forest Certification Schemes.” Wingate, K. and P. McFarlane, International Forestry Review, 7(4), 2005.
“The Institutional Design of Forest Certification Standards Initiatives and Its Influence on the Role of Science: The Case of Forest Genetic Resources.” Auld, G. and G. Bull, Journal of Environmental Management, 69, 2003.
Tables from “Differences That “Matter”? A Framework for Comparing Environmental Certification Standards and Government Policies.” McDermott, C., E. Noah, & B. Cashore. Initial Manuscript Submission to the Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning.
FSC/PEFC Comparisons
“Why FSC and Not PEFC?” Factsheet summarizing differences between FSC and PEFC. ForestEthics, January, 2006.
“New Insights on Credible Certification in Europe.” Statement summarizing results of WWF study comparing FSC and PEFC. World Wildlife Fund, July, 2005.
“Background Note to the WWF Statement on Credible Certification in Europe.” Summarizes results of WWF studies comparing the FSC and PEFC. World Wildlife Fund, July 21, 2005.