Forest Stewardship Council - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Translation

The French-speaking people use initials FSC and the expression Forest Stewardship Council, which could be translated by Conseil of good management of the forest , the word Conseil being to take here with the English direction Council (i.e. of a social group, of an elected human organization, having an objective).

Nature of the FSC

The FSC is an organization

- associative,

- international,

- independent,

- nongovernmental,

- with nonlucrative goal.

History

The FSC was created in 1993, in the dynamics of the second Sommet of the Earth of Rio (June 1992) by;

- forest owners,

- companies of the die wood,

- groups with social vocation and associations (ONG) of environmental protection.

Objectives

The first goal of the FSC is to encourage in a constructive way the initiatives of forest management socially, ecologically and economically person in charge, while making them visible and credible by a label affixed on the products resulting from certified forests. Logo FSC announces to the public a product corresponding to a schedule of conditions clear, transparent and checked by independent certifiers, with the guarantee of one of largest ONG environmental (the WWF and Greenpeace). It allows thus the consumer or the public to identify wood and its derivative products or of the products resulting from a forest profiting from a forest management respecting the principles from the bearable development as defined in Rio in June 1992, i.e.:

- ecologically adapted,

- socially beneficial and

- economically viable.

The FSC attempted to offer to the purchasers and to the public the maximum of pledges of Crédibilité.

Members

Each one can become member of the FSC and contribute to its development. An association, a trade union, a company or a community also can it.

Bases of the label

The FSC is founded on the systematic and obligatory respect of the totality of ten principles and criteria, international, valid for all the forests, timberings or trees suitable for be the subject of a ecocertification FSC, timberings of the extreme north to those of the tropical forests, for the certification of a forest good management.
La concept of forest management is not limited to the commercial forest. A Haie, a Bocage, a Natural reserve or a city park, without commercial vocations, could obtain a certification FSC if they respect the principles and criteria of them and if they follow the procedure of audit and certification.

Local variations

As it is the case of all the side-continental or international labels, of the national work groups FSC adapts the 10 principles and criteria to the local contexts, according to biogeographic criteria more than national. Thus a Vosgean forester can use the German reference frame nearer to the type of forest than it manages than the French reference frame. The principles and criteria are adapted to the specific conditions of the countries where is the unit of management or the die which requires to be certified FSC, under the control of international FSC .

Balanced representation of the recipients

The FSC attaches a very great importance to respect the basic principle of the Agenda 21, namely a checked and verifiable balanced representation of the interests and competences environmental, economic and social. Thus, the few 500 members of the FSC International - according to their interest - are divided into three rooms: social, ecological and economic; each one of these rooms having the same number of voices and the same capacity of proposal and decision. It is an absolutely single case within the forest écolabels. The FSC is moreover the écolabel forest to only grant an obligatory place to the populations autochtones and to all the users of the forest to take care that the forces of the market do not carry not reached to the rights of the populations autochtones, subject which worries also the network of the model Forêts.

Equitability

It is not enough that each room has the same weight. It is necessary still that the interests social, environmental and economic dependant forests of the South are as well defended as those related to the forests of North. This is why in order to take equitable account of manner of the interests and from the points of view of the actors of the South as regards forest management, each room is divided into two under-room, one representing “North” and the other the “South”. Each under-room same capacity of proposal and decision by the vote. It is here also a specificity of the FSC which even was further in certain cases by opening a fourth room for the Amerindians and inuits in North America.

Chain traceability

The FSC developed its system of chain of traceability intended to follow all the chain of wood, the upstream (the unit of management of the certified forest) to the final customer while passing by all the stages of the production and the transformation and possibly of the recycling of waste wood-paper. The product is seen allotting logo FSC only as from the moment when this chain of traceability was controlled by an organization of certification independent and accredited by the FSC. In the countries where pressures can exist on the certifier, this one is accompanied by two other certifiers coming from different countries.

10 principles and criteria (all obligatory)

Principle 1 : Respect of the laws and principles FSC
Forest installation must respect all the laws in force in the country like all the treaties and international agreements whose country is signatory. It will be also in conformity with all the principles and criteria of the FSC.

Principle 2 : Land safety, right of use and responsibilities
Land safety and the rights of long-term use on the forest grounds and resources must be clearly defined, documented and legally established.

Principle 3 : Rights of native-born people
Statutory duties and usual of native-born people to the property, the use and the management of their territories and their resources must be recognized and respected. (thus in certaiens Polish forests your sought if there remained downward beneficiaries people sent in extermination and concentration camp at the time of the second world war). In Europe, in fact the bordering populations of a forest can be associated with certification relating to for example the gathering with mushrooms, the walk, etc

Principle 4 : Relationships to the communities and right of the workers
The operations of forest management must maintain or improve the social and economic wellbeing with length term of the forest workers and the local communities.

Principle 5 : Products and services resulting from the forest
The operations of forest management must encourage the effective use of the multiple products and services forest to guarantee of it economic viability as well as a broad variety of environmental services and social.

Principle 6 : Environmental impact
Forest installation must maintain biological diversity and the values which are associated there, the resources hydrous, grounds, as well as the landscapes and the single and fragile ecosystems in such manner that it ensures the conservation of the ecological functions and the integrity of the forest.

Principle 7 : Plan of installation
A plan of installation - adapted to wide and intensity of the forestry operations - must be written, put in work and held up to date. The objectives of long-term management and the means of reaching that point must be clearly indicated.

Principle 8 : Follow-up and
evaluation A follow-up - adapted to extended and the intensity of forest installation must be carried out in order to evaluate the state of the forest, outputs of the forest products, the chain of traceability, operations of management and their social and environmental impacts.

Principle 9 : Maintenance of the forests with high value for the conservation
The activities of management in the forests with high value for the conservation must maintain or improve the attributes which define such forests. Decisions concerning the forests with high value for conservation must always be taken in the context of a precaution principle.

Principle 10 : Plantations
The plantations must be planned and managed in agreement with the principles and criteria 1 to 9 and the principle 10 and its criteria. Whereas the plantations can provide a series of socio-economic advantages and to contribute to the satisfaction of the world requirements in forest products, they should supplement management natural forests, to reduce the pressure exerted on those, and to promote their restoration and them conservation.

Grouped certification (Green umbrella)

It allows the forest small holders grouped in an existing association or to create to be made certify FSC by mutualisant their means and decrease by it the workload and the costs/hectare, in particular for the audit which is the most expensive part. Any voluntary grouping forest owners, association of forest owners, forest co-operative or association of forest communes can thus reach more simply a grouped certification. Certification grouped authorizes also a common exploitation of products forest or resulting from forest, labellized FSC.

Phases of certification FSC

Request written near an organization of certification accredited by the FSC
Pre-to that the
formal Request
Consultation of the parts interested
To that the main thing
Report/ratio of audit
Second reading of the report/ratio of audit
Given of the certificate
Followed and controls annual, with corrective measures, if necessary.

Participative instrument and ethical dimension

The FSC generates and encourages the debate before even forest certification. This debate supports a consensus between the forest managers and the inhabitants of the commune, the local authorities and regional, associations and trade unions which feel recognized like part-fascinating. This supports positive synergies between actors who dialog usually little, allowing to responsabiliser the forester like the public, facilitating the nonviolent resolution of many conflicts. An ONG international, as an local association can intervene. The documents of forest management are not confidential, as it is the case with many other labels.

The respect of the laws

Certain labels, whose supported on the ISO 14.000, impose clearly only the respect of the laws of the country, even of the country of the head office of the company. The FSC is the écolabel to only impose not only the respect of these laws, which seems the minimum until waits the public, but also supranational laws (Ex, European directives) and international conventions related on the environment, work and the social one. In the event of social conflict interns with the company or with the users, the holder of the label must prove that it tried solutions of resolution of the conflict.

In France

It is the WWF, which with the Club-Proforêt (Club of purchasers and promoters of the FSC) concretely launched to France the FSC. The federation Natural France Environment, strong of its experiment to the PEFC (in which it took part in France and for other countries, during several years) decided at the end of 2007 to join step FSC lately while adhering to association creates “ FSC France ”, FNE also recalls that it also takes part in the committees of Veille of certification body implied in the certification of forest management.

Internal bonds

durable Management of the forests, Forêt models
Écolabel
Prosilva
PEFC, the other label of wood internationally recognized
Tropical Forest Trust, British organization implied in the safeguarding of the tropical forests preaching the use of label FSC.

External bonds

international Official site of the FSC
FSC Canada
FSC
Where to buy wood certified FSC in France?

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