Defining Responsible Forest Management FSC Forest Certification Standards Defining Responsible Forest Management Version:

2 FSC Principles and Criteria Established in 1994 ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIAL ECONOMIC =

3 Content of a forest standard Globally consistent, locally appropriate This can be achieved by a combination of: Generic principles and criteria at a global level which are applicable to all forest sites and situations National or regional interpretations to develop appropriate national standard

4 Standard structure Principle Criteria Indicator Verifier

5 Principle Criteria Indicator Verifier World Wide Region Standard Structure 6.2 Safeguards shall exist which protect rare, threatened and endangered species and habitats Threatened Rare or Endangered species or ecosystems shall explicitly be taken into consideration during all operations. Locally or regionally set standards, e.g. Management plans and annual operating plans reference RTE species and detail protection measures. Field staff can recognize RTE species found in area.

6 Criteria and Indicators 56 generic criteria define the principles on a global level Indicators regionalize the standard and provide the primary auditors measurement tool 1.1 Forest management shall respect all national and local laws and administrative requirements FME shall have a good record of compliance with relevant federal, provincial/state, and local laws and regulations. (SW Interim Standard shall have a list of relevant legislation in order to ensure coverage.) FME shall undertake specific corrective actions when incidences of non-compliance are identified.

7 Hierarchy of FSC Certification Standards FSC Principles and Criteria SmartWood Generic Standard SmartWood Interim Regional Standards FSC Accredited Regional Standards

8 FSC Principles Principle 1: Compliance with laws and FSC Principles Principle 2: Tenure and use rights and responsibilities Principle 3: Indigenous peoples’ rights Principle 4: Community relations and workers’ rights Principle 5: Benefits from the forest Principle 6: Environmental impact Principle 7: Management plan Principle 8: Monitoring and assessment Principle 9: High Conservation Value Forests Principle 10: Plantations

9 PRINCIPLE 1. COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND FSC PRINCIPLES Forest management shall respect all applicable laws of the country in which they occur, and international treaties and agreements to which the country is a signatory, and comply with FSC Principles & Criteria.

10 PRINCIPLE 2. TENURE AND USE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Long-term tenure and use rights to the land and forest resources shall be clearly defined, documented and legally established.

11 PRINCIPLE 3. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' RIGHTS The legal and customary rights of indigenous peoples to own, use and manage their lands, territories, and resources shall be recognized and respected.

12 PRINCIPLE 4. COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND WORKER'S RIGHTS Forest management operations shall maintain or enhance the long-term social and economic well being of forest workers and local communities.

13 PRINCIPLE 5. FOREST BENEFITS Forest management operations shall encourage the efficient use of the forest's multiple products and services to ensure economic viability and a wide range of environmental and social benefits. Principio 5./m040544e5

14 PRINCIPLE 6. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Every forest management operation must preserve biological diversity and its associated values, the water resources, the soil and the fragile and unique ecosystems, in addition to the landscape. By fulfilling these objectives, the ecological functions and integrity of the forest can be preserved. Principio 6./m040544e6

15 PRINCIPLE 7. FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN A management plan - appropriate to the scale and intensity of the operations - shall be written, implemented, and kept up to date. The long term objectives of management, and the means of achieving them, shall be clearly stated.

16 PRINCIPLE 8. MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT Monitoring shall be conducted -- appropriate to the scale and intensity of forest management -- to assess the condition of the forest, yields of forest products, chain of custody, management activities and their social and environmental impacts. Principio 8./m040544e8

17 PRINCIPLE 9. MAINTENANCE OF HIGH CONSERVATION VALUE FORESTS Management activities in high conservation value forests shall maintain or enhance the attributes which define such forests. Decisions regarding high conservation value forests shall always be considered in the context of a precautionary approach.

18 PRINCIPLE # 10:PLANTATIONS Plantations shall be planned and managed in accordance with Principles and Criteria 1 - 9, and Principle 10 and its Criteria. While plantations can provide an array of social and economic benefits, and can contribute to satisfying the world's needs for forest products, they should complement the management of, reduce pressures on, and promote the restoration and conservation of natural forests.

19 Criteria and Indicators 56 generic criteria define the principles on a global level Indicators regionalize the standard and provide the primary auditors measurement tool 1.1 Forest management shall respect all national and local laws and administrative requirements FME shall have a good record of compliance with relevant federal, provincial/state, and local laws and regulations. (SW Interim Standard shall have a list of relevant legislation in order to ensure coverage.) FME shall undertake specific corrective actions when incidences of non-compliance are identified.

20 Evaluating Conformance for FSC Forest Management Conformance with the certification standard is determined by evaluating performance of the operation against each indicator of the standard. All indicators must be evaluated. Where there are performance thresholds specified in the indicator, they must be used to determine conformance. e.g.: –6.2.4 A minimum of 3-5 trees per hectare are continuously designated for natural decay and death. 1

21 Evaluating Conformance for FSC Forest Management Any Non-Conformance (NC) identified at the indicator level is classified as minor or major at the Criterion Level 2 Does the non-conformance at the indicator level lead to a fundamental failure to meet the objective of a Criterion or not?

22 Evaluating Conformance for FSC Forest Management Certification decisions (to issue a certificate or not) are based on conformance at the criterion level. 3 The fundamental failure to meet the objective of any criterion is considered a major non-conformance and will result in a major CAR and preclude certificate issuance.

23 THANK YOU!