Earn the respect of the public. Provide assurance of responsible forestry to your buyers and investors. Garner all the benefits of engaging in a widely supported scheme
Have your operation FSC certified to demonstrate that it is eco-friendly, offers safe and fair work conditions and supports long-term forest health and productivity.
Get started
Key steps to certification
To begin your process and receive a service quote, fill in our service request form or contact us. We will guide you on the scope of certification that best fits your needs and company set-up.
The process normally entails the following steps:
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Scope of your certificate: We will help you to identify the scope that is ideal for you. Once you have accepted our offer, we will assign a Preferred by Nature contact person for your organisation. |
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Prepare for certification: You develop or update your forest plan, including a monitoring system. You also train your staff to meet the FSC requirements. We will review your documentation and provide initial feedback on any major issues that we discover. We recommend you to address these prior to the on-site visit. |
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On-site evaluation: When you are ready, we will conduct an on-site assessment to check your compliance with the FSC requirements. This is done through document reviews, field observation and interviews with your staff and other stakeholders. We will also consult stakeholders. |
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Draft report: We elaborate a formal report which is reviewed by a senior Preferred by Nature expert. You will also receive the draft report for comments. |
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Certification: Based on a positive outcome, we issue your certificate. |
Your FSC certificate remains valid for five years, providing that you pass annual audits. Once the validity period ends, you need to undergo a full-scale re-assessment to renew your certificate.
Your options
The scope of your certificate
We can help you to identify the type and scope of FSC services that suits you best. Below are the main options:
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FM/CoC: You need a combined FSC forest management/chain of custody (FM/CoC) certificate in order to sell any products from your operation as certified. This is by far the most common type of certification held by forest operations. However, you may opt for FSC FM certification only. - Pre-assessment: A pre-assessment is carried out prior to the full assessment. It identifies important gaps in your system and management, compared to the FSC rules. This helps you to evaluate if you are sufficiently prepared to achieve certification. Depending on your operation, a pre-assessment may be mandatory for you to proceed towards certification.
- Group certification: Allows a group of forest owners to obtain and maintain a joint certificate. Group certification enhances access to certification for small and medium-sized operations by reducing the cost for each group member.
- SLIMF: If your operation is small or managed extensively, it may be eligible for certification according to the FSC SLIMF (Small and Low Intensity Managed Forest) procedures. The SLIMF rules allow a simpler certification process, reducing the costs of certification. Note: The SLIMF rules may be applied to group certification, providing all forests in the group fulfil the SLIMF criteria.
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Non-timber forest products (NTFP): The scope of your certificate may include harvesting of NTFP such as bark, gums, resins, fruits, nuts, medicinal herbs, fungi, etc.
Complementary services
You may also want to consider the following services that complement or support your FSC process:
- FSC certification training: You can join our comprehensive FSC-endorsed FSC Expert Course, where you will learn to think like an FSC auditor and acquire more comprehensive knowledge and skillsets within FSC certification.
- FSC Trademark User Course: Our trademark user training for FSC certificate holders helps you to use the FSC and Rainforest Alliance trademarks more efficiently by understanding the full range of options and constraints.
- Controlled Wood forest certification: If you find that you are not quite ready for full FSC certification, you may want to consider Controlled Wood certification as an alternative. This process can be seen as a step towards FSC certification. CW certification may enable you to build valuable relations with FSC certified buyers.
- Contractor certification: You may want to consider contractor certification to complement your FSC certification. Certified contractors can help you to ensure compliance with FSC requirements that apply to critical activities in the forest, such as timber harvesting and transport. If your organisation is a logging company, you may obtain contractor certification yourself. If you are using external contractors, you may want to make them aware of this option.
Our experience
Our credentials
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Expertise. We have worked with sustainable forestry and the FSC system for 25 years, providing auditing and training services. Our current FSC portfolio totals over 66 million hectares and we cater to over 3500 FSC certified companies worldwide.
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Focus on customer experience. We keep you up to speed on the sometimes rapidly evolving certification requirements. And we take pride in providing clear and full answers to your questions.
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Forestry insight. We cater to FSC certified operations across many countries. We work with operations of all sizes, including public and private forests.
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Local presence, global reach. With staff located in 40 countries across the globe and backed by an extensive global network of experts, we cater to companies worldwide.
Additional value of engaging with us
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Wide service choice. To learn how to manage your FSC certification process effectively, join one of our FSC training courses. We can also help you to demonstrate legality or to cut your carbon emissions.
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The non-profit factor. We are mission-driven. This is why we focus strongly on quality, training and information sharing. We are actively engaged in the FSC system, where we advocate credibility and impact. We also work for solutions that are cost-effective and make FSC certification more accessible.
Your benefits
Seven benefits of choosing FSC certification
An FSC certificate may provide you with several benefits, depending on the market in which you operate and the conditions of your forest. These are some of the key benefits that certificate holders often experience.
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Public trust. The Forest Stewardship Council enjoys broad support from leading international NGOs such as WWF and Greenpeace. Opting for FSC certification is an effective way to build trust amongst your clients as well as the wider public. |
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Communication. FSC certification helps you to engage with stakeholders such as local communities and NGOs who take an interest in how you manage your forest. This often helps you to map and safeguard social and environmental values and to build positive relations. |
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Enhanced access to new markets. Demand for FSC certified raw material often outstrips supply and this trend is expected to intensify. Growing consumer awareness as well as policy instruments and legislation such as the EU Timber Regulation are driving demands for responsible timber. |
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Improved quality and management systems. Many operations find that there are hidden benefits such as cost savings to be gained from the certification process. These benefits are linked to FSC's requirements for management plans and systematic procedures. |
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Better investor relations. Sustainability performance is increasingly viewed as a key factor in investment decisions. Due to growing consumption and increasing scarcity of natural resources, securing sustainable supplies is a growing priority for most wood-based businesses. |
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Your forest will keep on giving. Your long-term management plan ensures that you harvest no more than the forest can naturally restore, securing your valuable resource for years to come. |
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You will be doing the right thing. As shown by several independent studies, forest workers, local communities and the forest's wildlife all benefit from certification. |
