To ensure timber remains a sustainable resource, many companies are committed to selling certified lumber products.
Using TIMBERWeb, buyers can now find 'certified sellers' globally.
Several programmes verify companies selling certified timber and wood products.
With our guide, buyers and sellers can receive greater assurance their trading encourages good forest stewardship.
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Certification Systems - Global and Regional
The Forest Stewardship Council
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation.
It is an association of Members from diverse backgrounds including the timber trade and forestry profession, manufacturers, and community forestry groups from around the world.
Membership is open to all who share its aims and objectives. The FSC provides an umbrella organisation and structure within which qualified independent certifiers can operate according to clear guidelines and using agreed standards covering social, environmental and economic aspects of effective forest management.
TIMBERWeb and FSC-UK have an existing marketing alliance to promote certification via the Internet.
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) program
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative program is a comprehensive system of principles, objectives and performance measures that integrates the perpetual growing and harvesting of trees with the protection of wildlife, plants, soil and water quality.
Professional foresters, conservationists and scientists developed the SFI program. These men and women were inspired by the concept of sustainability that evolved from the 1987 report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, and was subsequently adopted by the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
The SFI program was adopted by the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) in 1994. The program provides a means for foresters, landowners, loggers and wood and paper producers to operate an economically viable industry while satisfying the growing demand of the American people for environmental responsibility.
The SFI program reflects the market and social realities of the 21st century. In short, the SFI program means using smart science to achieve smart business results. In today's competitive market, demonstrating that you are part of an environmentally responsible organization can be a decisive advantage.
The Pan European Forestry Certification (PEFC) Council
The Pan-European Forest Certification (PEFC) scheme provides an internationally credible forest certification framework for the development of forest certification schemes and initiatives, and facilitates their mutual recognition.
Timber products from certified forests, which meet the PEFC requirements, have access to a PEFC logo through a certified chain of custody.
To date 32.47 million hectares of forests have been certified against the requirements of five approved national forest certification schemes in Austria, Germany, Finland, Norway and Sweden, by independent accredited certification bodies
PEFC was formed in 1999 and since then participants from the following countries have become involved in PEFC's development: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
In these countries the forest area under non-industrial private ownership covers more than 100 million hectares and the total annual cutting is approx. 280 million cubic metres. To date 15 countries have created national PEFC Governing Bodies and further countries namely the Italy, Belarus, Hungary, Lithuania Slovenia, Poland, Romania, Greece, Russia and Luxembourg have indicated that they intend to do so in the very near future.
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Certification and Sustainability
