Development of a forest certification standard compatible with PEFC and FSC's management requirements. A case study from Greece

Abstract

Summary Greece currently has no national forest certifi cation standard. This paper explains how a draft forest management standard for Greece was developed to be compatible with both the Forest Stewardship Council and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certifi cation schemes requirements. The draft standard was tested in two contrasting forest areas to investigate its ease of operation, to indicate necessary refi nements to the standard and to reveal major areas of weakness in current forest management practices. Field testing showed that the standard was operationally effi cient and that relatively few changes to the standard were necessary. Major weaknesses in current management practices were identifi ed as breaches of health and safety, poor training of forest workers and inadequate consultation with stakeholders.