Updated CoC and CW Directives, CW Interpretations and FM Interpretations

Publication of updated FSC-DIR-20-011, FSC-DIR-40-004, FSC-DIR-40-005, Controlled Wood (CW) Interpretations and Forest Management (FM) Interpretations    

On 15 April 2026, FSC International published updated versions of:   

• <FSC-DIR-20-011 FSC Directive on Chain of Custody Evaluations>;   
• <FSC-DIR-40-004 FSC Directive on Chain of Custody Certification>;   
• <FSC-DIR-40-005 FSC Directive on FSC Controlled Wood>;    
• <Controlled Wood Interpretations>; and   
• <Forest Management Interpretations>.    

As a reminder, a ‘Directive’ is a compilation of published Advice Notes, and an ‘Interpretation’ is a formal normative clarification provided by FSC (source: <PSU-PRO-10-201 V2-2 Enquiry Procedure>).    

What are the changes to the Chain of Custody and Controlled Wood Directives?   

Importantly, no new Advice Notes have been introduced in the Directives. The changes are minor and mostly editorial.    

<FSC-DIR-20-011 FSC Directive on Chain of Custody Evaluations> has been updated to:   

• include the most recent normative references; and   
• make minor editorial changes.   

<FSC-DIR-40-004 FSC Directive on Chain of Custody Certification> has been updated to:   

• include the most recent normative references;   
• correct a typographical error in Advice Note 16 related to Disassociated Organizations; and   
• correct a typographical error in Advice Note 18 related to False Claims.

<FSC-DIR-40-005 FSC Directive on FSC Controlled Wood> has been updated to:   

• make minor editorial changes;   
• withdraw obsolete Advice Notes (that have already been incorporated into <FSC-STD-40-005>, or have expired); and   
• be officially translated into Spanish and French for the first time.    

What are the changes to the Controlled Wood Interpretations document and Forest Management Interpretations document?   

The Controlled Wood Interpretations document has been updated to withdraw obsolete Interpretations (that have already been incorporated into <FSC-STD-40-005 V3-1>, or have expired).   

Additionally, the Controlled Wood Interpretations document will no longer contain interpretations relating to Controlled Forest Management (CFM), as this is now managed by the Forest Management program. Therefore, all valid interpretations related to <FSC-STD-30-010 FSC Controlled Forest Management> (e.g INT-STD-30-010_12) and <FSC-STD-20-012 Controlled Forest Management Evaluations> (e.g. INT-STD-20-012_04) have been relocated to the Forest Management Interpretations document.    

Questions?   

For any queries or comments regarding the documents, contact the Chain of Custody & Controlled Wood team at: chainofcustody@fsc.org, or regarding the Forest Management Interpretations, contact the Forest Management team at: forestmanagement@fsc.org