Membership doesn’t just give you a seat at the decision-making table. It also allows you to become part of a vibrant international group of individuals and organizations.
It offers you the opportunity to build influential connections – whether face-to-face or through a range of social media – and strengthen your networks
FSC Membership
FCS’s unique governance structure ensures that all voices are heard and that decisions are made through consensus. FSC members contribute directly to our standards and to the future of responsible forestry. FSC brings together, among others, private enterprises, NGOs, international organizations, indigenous groups, and educational institutions. It is a diverse set of stakeholders but they all share a common desire to improve the state of the world’s forests. Members apply to join one of three chambers – environmental, social, or economic – that are further divided into northern and southern sub-chambers.
Each chamber holds 33.3% of the weight in votes, and within each chamber the votes are weighted so that the North and South hold an equal portion of authority, to ensure influence is shared equitably between interest groups and countries with different levels of economic development. The votes of all individual members in each sub-chamber represent 10% of the total vote of the sub-chamber, while the votes of organizational members make up the other 90%.
Benefits of membership
- Assume a leadership role in the growing market for independently certified forest products.
- Join a forum building relationships with business, environmental, Indigenous and community leaders.
- Take up a position of influence to support healthy forests, strong communities and thriving businesses.
- Share in the decision-making authority to bring integrity and resilience to the FSC system.
- Have your voice heard on matters pertaining to the forests of the world.
Who can be a member?
Anyone, whether an individual or representative of an organization (whether for-profit or non-profit) can apply to be an FSC member. Members have decision making power, and are fundamental to the organization and its vision. FSC relies on the diverse economic, social and environmental interests of our members to share the decision-making authority to bringing integrity and resilience to the FSC system.
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When you apply to become a member, you must agree not to become involved in any activities which are unacceptable to FSC. These include:
- illegal logging or trade in illegal wood or forest products
- violation of traditional and human rights through forestry operations
- destruction of high conservation values through forestry operations
- conversion of forests to plantations or non-forest use
- use of genetically modified organisms in forestry operations
- violation of workers’ rights through forestry operations.
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As an FSC member, you are also obliged to:
- take active part in board elections
- pay your annual fees within the given time frame
- inform the FSC Secretariat if your contact details change, or in case of organizational changes.
Membership Payment
Our membership fees vary according to the location of the individual or organizational member in either the global North or the global South. For organizations, membership fees also vary according to the type and size of the organization.
Who are our members?
FSC international members come from all across the globe and represent the global South and global North, with interests spread across three chambers: social, environmental and economic.