The concept of independently verifying forest management practices
began in the late 1980s. The idea behind this proactive movement was to
use market-based incentives to encourage sustainable forest management
practices that reach regions where regulation is lacking, and exceed
governmental standards in more regulated countries.
Growing environmental awareness and consumer demand for more socially
responsible businesses helped third-party forest certification emerge
in the 1990s as a credible mechanism for communicating the
environmental and social performance of forest operations. Using this
approach, an independent organization develops standards of good forest
management with independent auditors.
Forest operations that comply with those standards are then issued
certificates. This certification verifies that forests are well-managed
and ensures that certain wood and paper products come from responsibly
managed forests.
This rise of certification as a prevailing forest management practice
led to the emergence of several different systems throughout the world.
As evidenced by the rise of multiple certification schemes, there is no
single accepted forest management standard worldwide. Each of these
systems takes a unique approach to define standards for sustainable
forest management.
This section provides insight into the evolution, characteristics and
status of different certification systems and their efforts to certify
forests and forest products.
