FSC Certification (Forest Management)
Introduction
The Forest Stewardship Council, better known by its acronym FSC, is a non-governmental accreditation and certification organization based in Bonn, Germany.
FSC's official mission is "to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests". To achieve this, it has the Global Strategy 2021-2026, which establishes the direction and expected results until 2026, as agreed by the Council after a two-year process.
FSC certification demonstrates and guarantees, through independent audits by third parties (certification entities), responsible and sustainable management of forests. Likewise, other standards guarantee the chain of custody, thus defining the best practice for the supply chains of a product of forest origin, from the forest to the factory and until reaching the consumer. To this end, companies and organizations that transform or produce wood, paper, cardboard, rubber or other forest derivatives (timber or non-timber) can obtain FSC certification of their chains of custody and obtain a promotional label with which to identify these products "Product (object)").
The Forest Stewardship Council has a procedure to verify the positive impacts of the ecosystem services (also known as ecosystem services) provided by forests: biodiversity conservation; carbon sequestration and storage; water services; soil conservation; recreational services; cultural practices and values; and air quality.
The study 'Sustainable forest management through certification and wood products trade: Analyzing the role of the FSC across diverse economic and climatic contexts', published by The Journal of Cleaner Production confirms that FSC certification contributes to maintaining and increasing forest cover, particularly in lower middle-income countries.[1] These findings reinforce the conclusions of previous research and provide information on the adaptation of regional certification strategies to increase sustainable forest management. Research by Inoussa Boubacar and Yaya Sissoko analyzed the critical role that FSC certification plays in promoting sustainable forest management and mitigating deforestation in various economic and climatic contexts. Using dynamic panel data model and Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) measurements in 70 countries from 2000 to 2021, the researchers examined forest cover as a measure of the impact of FSC certification.
Other scientific evidence highlights the positive effects on biodiversity provided by responsible and sustainable forest management according to the application of FSC standards: two very notable examples are those published by the scientific journal with the article 'FSC-certified forest management benefits large mammals compared to non-FSC';[2] and , with 'FSC forest certification effects on biodiversity: A global review and meta-analysis'.[3].