SLIMF Standard

A small or low-intensity managed forest, or SLIMF, can qualify for streamlined requirements and auditing procedures that reduce the cost of implementation and audit. To facilitate this, FSC has worked to build eligibility requirements that should be included in National Forest Stewardship Standards.

Many countries include specific forest management requirements for SLIMF in their FSC forest management standards, aimed at facilitating the certification process for smallholders. Similarly, the auditing process can be adapted for SLIMF operations.

Smaller forest and forest product operations struggle to pay for certification, so this alleviate some of the cost burden by decreasing certification
costs as certification bodies can streamline certification procedures for those who fall under this definition. Some sample users are the following:

• Nepalese community forest user groups are granted certification of their land for non-timber forest products such as medicinal herbal remedies and beauty products.
• A family managing a forest area under 100 ha who work the land themselves.
• Multiple micro-properties of privately owned forests in Portugal come together for a group certification and then as a group negotiate better prices with local mills.

Check your national standard or talk to your national and regional office to find out whether there are SLIMF eligibility requirements in your country. Learn more here.