FSC-Certified Forests in China
China imports more wood than any other country in the world. The forests that are FSC-certified in the country are mainly productive forest containing monoculture plantations such as poplar and eucalyptus trees with short rotation periods of five to seven years. There are also FSC-certified Chinese fir and pine trees with longer rotation up to 25 years. In China on average smallholders manage about 2 hectares of forests, with some manage less than 0.1 hectares and some up to 160 hectares.
Chinese National Forest Stewardship Standard
The new national standard set clear targets for forest managers towards sustainable intensification and proactive management of environmental values. And was written by experts in natural conservation, worker’s rights, forest carbon management, poverty alleviation, international trade, and law and legislation.
Global National Forest Stewardship Standards in Development
There are over 80 countries working to transfer their national standards from version 4 of the Principles and Criteria to version 5. 70 countries are developing national-level standards around the world and normally include representation of social, environmental, and economic stakeholders, and is usually supported by an FSC national or regional office. In countries where we don’t have an FSC representative, standards are being developed by FSC-accredited certification bodies and serve as interim national standards.
For any questions regarding the Chinese national forest stewardship standard, please contact FSC country director, Ma Lichao at mailto: ma.lichao@fsc.org.