It promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests; encouraging forest operations that are structured and managed sk that they are sufficiently profitable, without generating financial profit at the expense of the forest resource, the ecosystem, or affected communities. As such they market the full range of forest products and services for their best value. The council oversees 195 million ha of certified forest and consists of several hundred organizational and individual members. It is governed in a democratic manner and through a general assembly and the elected Board of Directors. They operate 42 national offices 8 regional and sub-regional offices. The platform is for forest owners, timber industries, social groups and environmental organizations.
Initiatives:
- Strengthening Standards – Looks into setting the highest manageable standards for conservation and pesticide use.
- Empowerment of People – FSC-certified organizations around the world must meet certain requirements to prove they are taking care of (and not harming) forests and the people whose daily lives rely on them. Ensuring that the rights of forest-dependent communities are prioritized
- Demonstrating Impact – FSC runs a monitoring and evaluation initiative intended to help businesses understand our system and the impact it delivers. We produce yearly reports that demonstrate how we are contributing towards the social, environmental, and economic welfare of forests.
- Supporting Supply Chains – FSC chain of custody (CoC) certification covers more than 50,000 companies worldwide buying, selling, and trading FSC-certified material.
- Dispute Resolution System – Handles disputes voiced by forest stakeholders and tries to mediate and settle them through a dispute resolution system.
- FSC for Businesses – helps businesses with “improved efficiency, market access, meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and more.”
- Engagement – Takes an ” active role in many dialogue platforms.”
- Innovation –Â “whether that means certification in new sectors or using more efficient, digital tools.”
Publications:
- Annual Report
- A list of recommended readings
- Position Statements
- A certificate database to look up certified forests
- A document center regarding the FSC normative framework containing policies, national standards, controlled wood risk assessments, etc.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Profitability and sustainability in responsible forestry. Economic impacts of FSC certification on forest operators (2015, 48p.) – A WWF study aimed to draw a review on the economic impacts of FSC certification.
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