Background
The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) is a non-profit voluntary association established in 1919 with a core focus on the development of a range of standards and product certification. In 1994, the CSA was asked by federal and provincial governments and a coalition of forestry associations to establish a multi-stakeholder technical committee to develop a Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) standard for Canada.
The initial standard, developed by a committee of academics, governmental, industry and nongovernmental groups, was released in 1996 and is known as Z809-96. It was reviewed and revised with the Z809-02 standard taking effect in December 2002. The CSA and the standards it develops are designed to conform to the requirements of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Governance
The CSA is a membership association open to individuals and organizations. There are two types of memberships: committee members who are responsible for developing standards and sustaining members who provide financial support for the development of standards. A board of directors has oversight responsibility for the CSA. It consists of 27 members from academic, government, industry and the consulting sectors.
Standards
The CSA has a technical committee tasked with coordinating the standards development process. Representation is divided into four categories: professional/academia; general interest (including environmental, consumer, and labor groups); government; and industry. In addition to public reviews, proposed standards are also reviewed by an internal steering committee, but final approval comes from the independent Standards Council of Canada (SCC). The SCC is the focal point for standardization and conformity assessment in Canada and as such approves all national standards.
The CSA standard is based on six criteria and 17 elements. The six criteria were adopted from the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers criteria for SFM, while the 17 elements are used to define the scope of each criterion. The six criteria address biodiversity, maintenance and enhancement of forest ecosystems, conservation of soil and water resources, the contribution of forests to global ecological cycles, multiple benefits to society, and society’s responsibility toward sustainable development.
Accreditation
The SCC accredits auditors who are qualified to conduct certifications under the CSA SFM system. Potential certification organizations submit an application that addresses aspects of independent auditing and certification in accordance with the requirements of the International Organization for Standardization. The SCC reviews the application, conducts office and field assessments, and observes the applicant carrying out an SFM audit. Certification organizations are monitored annually and required to be re-accredited every five years.
Certification
The certifiers audit relevant documentation and on-site performance to ensure conformance to the requirements of the CSA. Certified operations are monitored annually to review progress toward achieving SFM targets. Such operations must be renewed at least every three years under the CSA standard.
The key components to obtaining CSA SFM certification are:
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Public participation- involve stakeholders, disputes and objectives, and establish a timeline for achieving objectives |
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System requirements- identify a defined forest area (DFA) that is subject to certification; lay out the DFA manager’s responsibilities; and commit to continual improvements in SFM |
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Performance requirements- based on the public participation process, establish forest management area values, goals, indicators and objectives that reflect the Council’s national criteria and incorporate them into adaptive forest management planning and practices |
Product Tracking and Labeling
In response to requests to link Canada's National SFM Standard to consumers to promote responsible purchasing, the CSA International Forest Products Group was created to develop and manage CSA chain of custody (COC) and product mark.
The COC system tracks certified forest products from the time they leave the CSA certified forest until they reach their final destination, such as a retailer's shelves. The different COC tracking options under the CSA system are:
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A physical separation model that separately stores and uses certified material |
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A batch model that uses only certified materials on a temporal basis—e.g. production shift |
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A mixed model that addresses the simultaneous use of certified and non-certified materials |
Companies that meet the COC requirements can use the CSA SFM mark. To be eligible for the CSA SFM Mark, manufacturers cannot obtain wood-based raw materials from controversial or illegal sources. A controversial source is defined as raw material from illegal or unauthorized logging.
The CSA system has three labels for designating products. In order to quality for a CSA SFM Mark, at least 70 percent of the content must be certified. The three marks are: 100 percent from a certified forest; product line from a certified forest with a minimum of 70 percent certified; and a product with a minimum 70 percent certified forest content.
CSA on the Ground
