Forest management certification around the world - Progress and problems

Certification to approved forest management standards is a recognized business practice. There are two international forest certification programs: the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The common objective of both is to improve forest management and provide assurance to the public and customers that forest products come from sustainably managed forests and not from illegal operations. As of June 2011 there were approximately 372 million ha of certified forests around the world. There are 234 million ha of forests in 26 countries that have been certified to standards approved by PEFC. There are 143 million ha of forest certified to FSC standards in 81 countries. In 20 of these countries, with101 million ha (70%), the forests have been certified to standards approved by FSC. In the remaining 61 countries, 42 million ha (30%), the forests have been certified to draft or "interim standards" that have not gone through the FSC approval process. Consumers have no way of knowing whether the wood or paper products with an FSC label are from forests certified to FSC-approved standards or to "interim standards" developed by FSC certification bodies.