A recent study featured in the July/August edition of the Canadian magazine The Forestry Chronicle confirms that FSC certification results in considerably more on-the-ground changes to forest management compared to alternative forest certification programs (SFI and CSA).

A recent study featured in the July/August edition of the Canadian magazine The Forestry Chronicle confirms that FSC certification results in considerably more on-the-ground changes to forest management compared to alternative forest certification programs (SFI and CSA).

Authors from the Canadian Forest Service and the University of British Columbia studied 130 reports from FSC, SFI, and CSA certification assessments and found that “the FSC standard [certification program] required more changes in all themes (environmental, social, economic, and management systems).”  Whereas FSC stood alone, “the CSA and the SFI standards do not differ significantly from one another for either quantity of conditions or recommendations.”

Most notable in the study were FSC’s distinct audit conditions and recommendations related to High Conservation Value forests and protected areas, use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and indigenous people’s rights.

Canada is well known for the High Conservation Values contained in its vast forest resources, and the tremendous threat posed by poor forest management. Results of the study indicated a strong mandate from FSC certification to address these threats — not so for the other programs. “This is a good representation of the specific nature of the FSC standards, which were developed with the conservation idea in mind” state the study’s authors.

Additionally, forest management in Canada has regularly led to challenges with First Nations rights and resources. FSC has distinct set of requirements surrounding indigenous people’s issues and ensures that those rights are protected.

These results are not surprising to those familiar with the standards and their vastly different orientations. All systems purport to represent environmental, social, and economic values; however the study confirms that the depth and detail in which these values are represented varies greatly among them.

The study can be downloaded here