FSC Forest Management certification process

Kickstart your certification journey by completing our service request form or reaching out to us directly. Our experts will guide you through the certification scope that aligns best with your company setup and needs.

Step 1: Certificate scope  

We help you determine the suitable certification scope tailored to your needs. Once you accept our offer, we'll assign a Preferred by Nature contact person to your organisation.

Step 2: Certification preparation

Develop or update your forest plan, including a monitoring system. Train your staff to meet FSC requirements. We'll review your documentation and provide initial feedback. Address any major issues before the on-site visit.

Step 3: Pre-assessments

Depending on the scope of your operation, you may be required to undergo a pre-assessment before the main certification assessment. This is a gap analysis assessment to determine if there are any major issues that need addressing before a certificate can be issued, allowing you to address them prior to the main certification assessment.

Step 4: On-site evaluation

When you're ready, we'll conduct an on-site assessment to ensure compliance with FSC requirements. This includes document reviews, field observations, staff interviews and consultations with stakeholders.

Step 5: Audit report

We'll draft a comprehensive report, reviewed by a senior Preferred by Nature expert. You'll have the opportunity to provide feedback on the draft report.

Step 6: Obtaining certificate

Based on a positive outcome, we issue your certificate. Your FSC certificate remains valid for five years, subject to annual audits. After this period, a full-scale re-assessment is needed to renew your certification.

Complaints and resolutions

If a complaint is raised about our certification services or one of our clients, we handle this in accordance with our Dispute Resolution Policy. We may call on our Impartiality Committee if Preferred by Nature’s impartiality is under question.

Certificate scope

We can help you identify the type and scope of FSC services that suit you best. 
Below are the main options:

• FM/CoC: The most common type, allowing the sale of certified products. However, you may opt for FSC FM certification only.

   

• Pre-assessment: Identifies gaps in your system compared to FSC rules, helping you prepare for certification. Depending on your operation, a pre-assessment may be mandatory for you to proceed towards certification.

   

• Group certification: Enables a group of forest owners to maintain a joint certificate. Group certification enhances access to certification for small and medium-sized operations by reducing the cost for each group member.

   

• SLIMF/Community Forest: The SLIMF (Small and Low Intensity Managed Forest) procedures and the Continuous Improvement Procedure (CIP) rules allow a simpler certification process, reducing the costs of certification.

   

• Non-timber forest products (NTFP):  Includes harvesting of various NTFPs such as bark, gums, resins, fruits, nuts, medicinal herbs, fungi etc.

Complementary services

Enhance your FSC journey with additional support:

• FSC certification training: Join our comprehensive FSC-endorsed FSC Expert Course, where you will learn to think like an FSC auditor and acquire more comprehensive knowledge and skillsets within FSC certification.

   

• FSC Trademark User Course: Our trademark user training for FSC certificate holders helps you use the FSC and Rainforest Alliance trademarks more efficiently by understanding the full range of options and constraints.

   

• Controlled Wood forest certification: Not quite ready for full FSC certification? Consider Controlled Wood certification as an alternative. This process can be seen as a step towards FSC certification. Controlled Wood certification may enable you to build valuable relations with FSC-certified buyers.

FSC FM guides and tools

Prepare for FSC certification with confidence:

• High Conservation Value Forest: The HCV Network offers extensive resources for the identification and management of High Conservation Values. Access HCV resources

   

• Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC): FSC's guidelines on how to address issues of free, prior and informed consent - an important aspect of FSC forest certification where Indigenous peoples or local communities are affected by forest management. 
  Access FPIC guidelines

   

• FSC Resources for Smallholders: Resources and useful examples and inspiring cases for small forest operations. Explore tools for smallholders and related news & updates

   

• FSC and pesticides: FSC resource for exploring and explaining issues related to pesticide use and FSC certification. Visit FSC Pesticide Policy page

   

• Global Living Wage Coalition: The Coalition aims to facilitate improvement in wage levels for workers by advancing the process of calculating and adopting living wages. Their website features benchmark and prevailing wage studies for countries. Read more

   

• FSC Ecosystem Services Tools: Tools that FSC certificate holders can use to demonstrate the impact of their forest management activities on ecosystem services.
  Access Ecosystem Services for Forest Managers

FSC Regulatory Module

Enhance your FSC Forest Management certification by adding the FSC Regulatory Module. This add-on helps forest operators meet EUDR requirements through improved due diligence and risk management. Available as a standalone desk audit or alongside annual certification assessments.

>> Learn more about the FSC Regulatory Module
>> Download our info sheet

FSC Forest Management Standards – International

Your scope of certification defines which FSC standards and policies apply to your company.

There are some official documents that apply to all FSC certificate holders, including Forest Management and Chain of Custody certificates. Access these documents

FSC Principles & Criteria (P&C) & International Generic Indicators (IGI)

The global FSC Principles and Criteria (P&C) are generally seen as "the fundamental law" of FSC certification, laying down the fundamental definition of responsible forest management. The IGI are a set of indicators used as the starting point to adapt the FSC forest management requirements to national or regional contexts to operationalise the FSC P&C.

The adaptation process can result in two types of FSC Forest Management standards. An FSC National Forest Stewardship Standard, developed by a registered FSC chamber balanced standard development group.

The second type is an Interim National Forest Stewardship Standard developed by one or more accredited FSC certification body(s) in countries that do not have a registered standard development group.

Visit the FSC Document Centre for the current version of a country or regional FSC Forest Stewardship standard or a related FSC normative document such as:

• Principles and Criteria for Forest Stewardship
• International Generic Indicators
• Glossary of Terms  
• Forest Management Groups
• SLIMF and community forest eligibility criteria
• Pesticides policy
• Lists of Highly Hazardous Pesticides
• Policy to Address Conversion
• Remedy Framework
• Interpretation on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
• Policy on the excision of areas from the scope of certification
• FSC Certification and the ILO conventions

FSC Forest Management Standards – National & Regional

Once all countries complete the transition to version 5 of the P&C all National Forest Stewardship Standards will be available on the FSC Document Centre. Based on the FSC Principles & Criteria, these standards are developed through inclusive, multi-stakeholder processes.

For the few remaining countries where a new standard has not been adapted for version 5 of the P&C, Preferred by Nature is using locally adapted CB standard according to version 4 of the P&C.  These are listed below. For any country where there is not currently an approved FSC Forest Stewardship standard, an FSC Interim National Forest Stewardship Standard would need to be developed to assess and certify forest operation in that country.

Where regional or national FSC standards exist for a country, we conduct all FSC forest management assessments against these requirements.

>> Access national FSC-endorsed standards (select "National Standard" under type of documents)

For countries without endorsed standards, we implement internally developed interim standards, based on our generic standard and multi-stakeholder input.

Access the documents:

• Interim standard for Estonia
• Interim standard for Estonia (in Estonian)
• SLIMF interim standard for Estonia
• SLIMF interim standard for Estonia (in Estonian)
• South and South East Asia Natural Rubber NTFP Addendum
• Interim FSC Standard for Argentina (in Spanish)
• Interim FSC Standard for the US and Canada - Maple Sugar NTFP Addendum
• Interim FSC Standard for South Korea
• Interim FSC Standard for South Korea (in Korean)
• Interim standard for New Zealand
• Interim FSC Standard for Thailand
• Interim Standard for Thailand (in Thai)

FSC Forest Management Consultations

Your voice matters! Participate in our scheduled assessments.

We invite key stakeholders to comment on our scheduled FSC assessments. Your feedback will inform our evaluation process and field visits to the operation.

Browse our list of planned evaluations to provide your input. You're welcome to comment at any time, even without a direct invitation. We value your insights to ensure compliance with FSC standards.

Comment outside stakeholder notifications: We welcome your comments at all times. Feel free to contact us with any inputs you might have.