Pilot tests bring contractor certification closer to reality in Spain
Contractor certification is looking promising in Spain, and is likely to boost FSC certification among small and medium sized landowners.
Contractor certification is looking promising in Spain, and is likely to boost FSC certification among small and medium sized landowners.
These are the latest findings of the Certification of Forest Contractors (CeFCo) project to be unveiled during a series of workshops across the country starting in May 2011.
“The results are promising. There is consensus that access to FSC certification could certainly lead to a real improvement in forest management”, says Pablo López Abelenda from FSC Spain.
During the workshops NEPCon and FSC Spain will present the outcomes of three pilot tests in Galicia, in northwestern Spain. Chosen for the large number of small forest holders, the Galicia region produces around half of all wood harvested in Spain.
Several groups of smallholders and different forestry contractors took part in the pilot tests in November and December 2010 using two “check-lists”: one for the forestry contractors and one for the forest manager.
The two check-lists were developed by dividing up indicators from the Spanish FSC forest management standard into those more appropriate for landowners and those more appropriate for contractors; the contractor’s check-list also included requirements from the Rainforest Alliance’s Smartlogging standard. The pilot tests have helped to identify ways the proposed check-lists can be improved.
Ultimately, the responsibility for certification of forestry operations lies with the forest manager; however, allowing contractors to demonstrate compliance with parts of the certification standards – those more related to forestry operations – on behalf of landowners will simplify the certification process considerably for landowners.
This process can also benefit contractors because by demonstrating this compliance they can also receive a Rainforest Alliance Smartlogging certificate.
Open to forestry contractors and private forest owners, the upcoming workshops are scheduled for May, June and July 2011 across Spain.
FSC Spain and NEPCon obtained generous funding to roll out the project activities in Spain from Fundacion Biodiversidad, which is part of the Ministry for Environment in Spain, as well as from the European Commission’s Executive Agency for Competitiveness & Innovation (EACI).
