FSC® and PEFC forest certification (FM)
Background of forest certification
Certification of forests and forest plantations is now in demand more than ever before. Responsible forest management is today considered as one of the most important factors for the protection of forest resources worldwide. The benefits of forest certification for forest owners are diverse and include among others
- Image improvement through external confirmation of the quality of forest management
- Competitive marketing advantages through FSC or PEFC certified products (timber and other forest products
- The fulfilment of the customer demand for FSC and/or PEFC certified products
- Higher efficiency of operational control and forest stakeholder management for large private, municipal and state forestry companies
The FSC and PEFC standards for forest certification include economic, ecological and social requirements which ensure for the responsible use of forests. GFA Certification is accredited for forest management certification according to the requirements of FSC and PEFC. FSC and PEFC are standalone systems. Often, a combined audit of both systems is desired, which can be offered by GFA.
The way to forest certification
An independent assessment of the forestry company is carried out by GFA Certification based on the FSC and/or PEFC standards as part of the certification framework of forest management. The conformity of the management system is verified and confirmed by GFA Certification in a certification audit and by subsequent annual monitoring audits. Group certifications are possible under certain circumstances in which only samples from the participating forestry companies are audited by GFA. Upon successful certification of forest, products originating from this forest may be labelled with the FSC or PEFC label and be sold as FSC or PEFC certified.
The steps described here are also applicable for the Vietnamese Forest Certification System VFCS, which is currently under evaluation to become endorsed by the PEFC Council under the PEFC umbrella.
Important steps for forest certification
PRELIMINARY INFORMATION
– Information of the company about the FM requirements of standards
– Determination of the necessary basic company information
– Assessment of the information by GFA
closeOFFER & ORDER
– Elaboration of a non-binding offer by GFA
– Placing of the order by the company
closePRE-AUDIT
– Joint preliminary audit for clarification of open questions
– Weaknesses analysis and identification of improvement needs
– Information on all employees and prospective customers
closeSURVEY OF STAKEHOLDERS
– Surveys of all relevant involved in the context of the certification
(competent authorities, trade unions, environmental associations, etc.)
closeMAIN AUDIT
Assessment of FSC and/or PEFC systems by a GFA auditor
– On-site inspection of the area and operations
– Meetings with Management and staff
– Documentation verification
– Creation of the audit report including public
– Public summary
– Elimination of company deviations
-Decision on the certificate by the GFA
closeEXPERT OPINION
– Verification of the report, audit and quality assurance through independent experts
closeCERTIFICATE
– Issuing and sending of the certificate
– Registration of the certificate
closeANNUAL MONITORING AUDIT
– Annual assessment by an auditor
– Company provides evidence
– Decision of the certifier on the maintenance, suspension or withdrawal of the certificate
closeRE-CERTIFICATION AUDIT
– A reassessment will take place before expiry of the certificate period (depending on the system, 5 and 3 years respectively) and after the conclusion of a new certification contract
close
For more information download our PDF documents listed in the side bar or contact us directly via the contact form or directly under
Gerhard Kuske (+49 40 5247431 140 or mobile +49 15115056623)
Costs of forest certification
Duration and cost of the FSC and/or PEFC forest certification depend on the size of operation, type of forest management and the produced products. Usually the time for forestry companies to prepare for certification and be ready for the first audit by GFA takes 2-6 months.
Use the link “Request Proposal” and you’ll receive a free quotation for forest certification which is tailored to your needs.
