Forest Certification

It has been widely reported in the media that major forest clearances in many parts of the world have contributed to changing weather patterns and ecological devastation. Reports suggested that many of these clearances were illegal and carried out with little concern for the environment or local communities. It was against this background that aspirations for global forest certification were first expressed by many within the timber industry, environmental groups and human rights organisations.

The purpose of forest certification is to provide the consumer with an assurance that products have been sourced from sustainable (well managed) woodlands and forests. This assurance is based on an assessment of forest and woodland areas by independent auditors to determine whether they are being managed to recognised standards of management. Forest certification caters for commodities such as timber which is sold on the global market and there is a mechanism to ensure that products from certified forests are separated from uncertified products in the supply chain. This is achieved by a chain-of-custody certification which verifies that each stage of the supply chain has been certified. The consumer can easily recognise a certified product through appropriate labeling.

Certification requires forestry practices to be audited against an agreed standard. The UKWAS is designed to provide a common standard for use within forest certification programmes operating in the UK. The participation of stakeholders in developing the Standard which encompassed economic, environmental and social interests contributed largely to its widespread acceptance. It sets out the requirements which must be met by forest and woodland owners and managers in order to obtain certification and guidance is provided on how to fulfill these requirements. It has been fully endorsed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and therefore the FSC label can be displayed on products from UKWAS certified forests.

A revision of the UKWAS was published in 2008.

FSC certification may be conducted by certifying bodies in possession of FSC accreditation. Soil Association Certification Limited is the organisation which currently provides independent verification that environmental, social and economic standards have been met in Northern Ireland’s forests.

A reassessment audit of forest management was completed in April 2010 and Forest Service retained its certified status, a public summary of the audit is available to download from the Soil Association website. Soil Association will complete surveillance visits throughout the next 5 years to ensure that high standards are maintained.