FSC Forest Management Best Practices

There are ten principles that any forest operation must adhere to before it can receive FSC forest management certification. These principles cover a broad range of issues, from maintaining high conservation value to community relations and workers’ rights, as well as monitoring the environmental and social impacts of the forest management.

To allow industry players to adopt practical, actionable and responsible forest management practices that allow them to fulfil growing market demand for certified forest products. FSC develops National Forest Stewardship Standards (NFSS) for individual countries based on our globally-consistent International Principles and Criteria.

FSC standards are developed through a collaborative and consultative process, owned and managed by six to nine in-country representatives who hold a mix of economic, social and environmental perspectives and are supported by FSC staff members. These individuals form a country’s Standard Development Group (SDG) and ensure FSC’s  principles and criteria are enacted through country-specific and relevant indicators and verifiers.

These indicators and verifiers ensure bottom-up, grassroots input at the country level while also maintaining globally consistent standards.