Knowra Forest certification Forest certification Forest certification is an independent process for assessing whether forest management or forest products meet defined environmental, social, and economic standards. It can certify forests, supply chains, or both.
Forest Stewardship Council : An international nonprofit that sets forest management and chain-of-custody standards and operates a certification system. Its principles and criteria provide one major route for certifying forests and products.
Sustainable forest management : Forest stewardship that maintains forests’ biodiversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, and ecological and social functions. Certification schemes commonly frame their requirements around this broader management goal.
Sustainable procurement : Purchasing that considers environmental, social, and economic effects alongside price and performance. Organizations use certification requirements to guide purchases of wood and paper.
Forest law enforcement : The implementation and enforcement of laws governing forests, logging, and forest products. Legal compliance is mandatory, while certification typically adds voluntary standards beyond the law.
Illegal logging : Harvesting, transporting, processing, or trading timber in violation of applicable laws. Certification systems seek to exclude unlawful sources, though audits cannot eliminate all illegal timber.
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification : An international nonprofit that endorses national forest certification systems and promotes sustainable forest management. It offers a distinct certification model built around endorsing national standards.
Forest governance : The institutions, laws, policies, and decision-making processes that shape how forests are managed. Certification standards address who makes forest decisions and how rights and rules are enforced.
Deforestation-free supply chain : A supply chain designed to exclude commodities linked to deforestation or forest degradation. Certification can support supply-chain controls, though it does not by itself prove deforestation-free status.
Forest law enforcement, governance and trade : A European Union initiative that uses partnership agreements and trade measures to address illegal logging. FLEGT targets timber legality through public policy rather than voluntary certification.
Forest degradation : A decline in a forest’s ecological condition and capacity without complete conversion to another land use. Weak standards or enforcement can leave degrading practices compatible with certification.
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