This standard defines a hierarchical framework which ensures that all FSC Forest Stewardship Standards can be audited in a consistent manner, providing replicable results. This standard also specifies the requirements for certification bodies to adapt their generic standards to local conditions in countries where there is not yet an FSC approved regional, national or sub-national Forest Stewardship Standard. This standard shall apply to certification body generic certification standards used as the basis for FSC certification.
This Glossary is a collection of the most frequently used terms and definitions that have been approved and are used in documents of the FSC Normative Framework, published in the English language.
Please note that the content of this normative document has been streamlined into FSC-STD-20-007 Forest Management Evaluations Standard (V4-0)
Publication date: 1 February 2023
Effective date: 1 July 2023
End of transition period: 31 December 2024
The social impacts of forest management mean that forest management is a social as a well as a technical activity. It is not possible to involve all stakeholders in every forest evaluation. It is therefore essential that forest certification and its results should be open to public scrutiny. This is the only way to demonstrate to all interested or affected parties that the certification decisions are justified and acceptable. It is a basic requirement of the FSC scheme that certification bodies make a summary report of each certified forest operation publicly available.
This standard applies to forest management-accredited certification bodies assessing conformity with the applicable FSC normative requirements during controlled forest management evaluations including pre-evaluations, main evaluations, surveillance evaluations and step-up evaluations of single management units, forest management groups, and single legal entities managing multiple management units.
This standard defines the normative requirements for FSC accreditation for controlled forest management certification.
This standard specifies the process requirements to be followed for the development and revision of regional (supra-national, trans-national), national or sub-national FSC Forest Stewardship Standards by registered Standards Development Groups and endorsed National Initiatives.
This document provides an up to date list of countries for which the SLIMF and Community Forest eligibility criteria differ from those specified for international use in FSC-STD-01-003 V2-0 SLIMF and Community Forest Eligibility Criteria.
This module is for voluntary use by organizations applying for or holding FSC certification to extend their certification scope in order to align with the Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 or “EUDR”. The FSC Regulatory Module empowers users to navigate the regulatory landscape effectively, supporting both legal compliance and sustainability best practices. The FSC Regulatory Module sets the framework and requirements to: introduce a due diligence system to support EUDR compliance, including information collection, risk assessment and risk mitigation, gather and transmit precise information on the origin of products, including geolocation and time of production, and ensure that only deforestation-free material enters the FSC chain of custody.
This standard specifies the accreditation requirements for all certification bodies operating FSC accredited certification programs. The objective of this standard is to ensure that these programs are managed in a competent, consistent, impartial, transparent, rigorous, reliable and credible manner, thereby facilitating their acceptance on a national and international basis and so furthering international trade and promoting sustainable development.
This standard is mandatory for all FSC certificate holders who are entitled to use the FSC trademarks and sets out how to use the FSC trademarks correctly. The standard covers use of the FSC trademarks on FSC certified products, use for promotion of FSC certified products, and for promotion of the company's status as an FSC certificate holder. This standard forms the basis for evaluation and approval by FSC accredited certification bodies of all certificate holders' FSC trademark use.
Please note that the content of this normative document has been streamlined into FSC-STD-20-007 Forest Management Evaluations Standard (V4-0)
Publication date: 1 February 2023
Effective date: 1 July 2023
End of transition period: 31 December 2024
The following requirements aim to ensure that the certification body decision making entity has sufficient information on which to base its decisions with respect to conformity with FSC forest stewardship standards, and to help FSC ensure that there is consistency in decision making between different certification bodies.
(1029 results)
FSC_Policy_responses_Ukraine__2022-12-19
FSC-STD-RAP-01-2021
FSC-STD-01-003 SLIMF Review Report
Focus Forests Landscape Dialogue – Info Sheet_EN
Guidance CG - Executive Summary.pdf
FSC Remedy Framework_FSC-PRO-01-004_ES
FAQ FSC Check_November 2023_ES.pdf
Co-Creating Collective Benefits Briefing Note.pdf
2018.07 New Members EN- FSC Internacional
2020.12 New Members EN - FSC Internacional
User Manuals
Consult the user manuals for a variety of our tools. They will help you find yourself around the different platforms, solve common problems and guide you through each step of the process.
A short guide to help you get started with the signing process of FSC's electronic Trademark License Agreement (e-TLA) for the FSC certification scheme.
This user guide provides step-by-step directions – on how to complete the FSC Check process – to organizations and individuals who want to join (or re-join) the FSC system, either as a certificate holder or as a member.
If you have technical questions, write to us at: connect@fsc.org