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How Forest Certification Works
Forest certification assures consumers that the forest products they
purchase are derived from operations that manage forests to a
pre-determined set of environmental, social and economic standards. The
process of forest certification involves the interactions of three
independent entities.
The certification organization is governed by a diverse set of
interests and works with a broad array of stakeholders to establish a
set of standards for the management of forests and the tracking of raw
material throughout the supply chain. The coordinating organization is
typically modeled after a number of principles put forth by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
These principles provide guidance on governance,
standards development, assessing the qualifications of certifiers, and
the procedures for verifying that practices meet the certification
standard.
The auditor/certifier
is the organization that has the technical expertise for verifying that
on-the-ground practices conform to the certification standard.
Certification systems rely on accredited auditors to carry out these
verifications. Auditors are evaluated to ensure they have the technical
capacity to objectively evaluate forestry operations.
The forest products company is responsible for understanding and
carrying out forest management practices in a manner that meets or
exceeds the standards of the certification system. Many
certification systems also have mechanisms for tracking forest products
through the supply chain. Therefore, companies such as furniture,
window and door manufacturers that purchase and sell forest products
can verify that their products use raw material
derived from responsibly managed forests.
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