Guidance provides clarifications and reveals potential loophole in the EU Timber Regulation … On 9 November 2012, the long-awaited guidance document clarifying important details of the EU Timber Regulation was presented by EU. It provides clarification on …

Revised FSC Chain of Custody Directive: key changes … FSC has published an expanded version of its Chain of Custody Directive (FSC-DIR-40-004), including three new advice …

Australia passes Illegal Logging Prohibition Bill … On 19 November 2012, the Australian Senate voted in favour of the Australian Illegal Prohibition Bill, which prohibits the importing of illegally logged timber and timber products as well as processing …

… FSC pushes forward on EU Timber Regulation alignment … On 31 October, FSC released an expanded version of the FSC chain of custody directive (FSC-DIR-40-004), including … that are essential for the system's alignment with the EU Timber Regulation. …

World Bank: time to get tough on forest crime … In recent years, a number of initiatives have been launched to address the problem of illegal logging, such as the EU FLEGT program addressing forest governance in tropical countries and initiatives in the …

WWF: The EU drags its feet over legality measures … In its “Government Barometer 2012”, WWF criticises EU member states for being too reluctant when it comes to on-the-ground actions that they are expected to carry out to halt the flow of illegal timber …

… Australian Timber Bill endorsed … Australia has come considerably closer to adopting a new Timber Act, after a special committee of the Australian …

Leadership needed in absence of global climate deal … Governments of the world who gathered for the climate conference in Durban were unable to agree on an international, legally-binding …

Tears, sweat, and optimism … “I’m in this for the long haul”, says Kasper Kopp, referring to his timber trading business TRACER ApS. The Danish company specialises in FSC-certified tropical timber and promotes Lesser Known Species in order to support …

Environmental devotion propels success for greeting cards … Perhaps more than other forestry products, greeting cards have a unique ability to connect with consumers on an emotional …

FSC and PEFC requirements: update on key changes … The FSC and PEFC forest certification systems are constantly evolving based on stakeholder feedback and new developments in the political and legislative …

Outlook 2012: sustainability trends in the timber market … Will the global financial crisis kill efforts to foster sustainability in the timber sector? This would seem likely, but the opposite seems to be the …

… FSC aligns with the EU Timber Regulation … Minor … components will need to be completely phased out of the FSC system within a year's time. FSC has found this to be a necessary move in order to ensure …

Malaysian timber scheme rejected by Dutch Board of Appeal … The Board of Appeal of the Dutch Environmental Foundation has ruled to uphold a judgement made last year by the Dutch Timber Procurement Assessment Committee (TPAC). TPAC found that the PEFC …

… FSC Controlled Wood standard to be amended … A new draft version of the standard for Company Evaluation of FSC Controlled Wood is open for public consultation until 30 … requirements, which have been added in order to ensure that FSC products will meet the EU Timber Regulation. …

… Rainforest Alliance has awarded FSC certification to Oxford Timber Audits – the largest chain of custody group in the UK. …

Contractors may hold key to concerns over European forestry … The European Environment Agency called for a renewed effort to improve the biological diversity in Europe’s forests through sustainable forest management in a report published on 18 October …

NGOs: PEFC fails to deliver key values … Despite recent revisions and improvements of a number of core PEFC standards, Greenpeace and eight other NGOs find that the PEFC system does not provide sufficient assurance of responsible forest …

FSC makes headway in Greenland … FSC certified wood is now available for the booming housing construction sector in Greenland. STARK, the Danish chain of professional builders merchants has expanded its multi-site FSC certificate to cover its stores in …

… Survey underpins market strength of FSC … Why do companies choose to become FSC-certified? An FSC market survey report published by FSC shows that …