Programme For The Endorsement Of Forest Certification Research Articles

Was stakeholder participation in the PEFC revision process successful in Slovakia?

The complexity and comprehensiveness of sustainability issues considered by forest certification schemes require knowledge based and transparent decision-making process. Therefore, open and multi-stakeholder participation in setting sustainable forest management criteria and rules for supporting managerial processes is the main requirement of forest certification systems. For global schemes utilising bottom-up approach, such as the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)) or the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the transformation of requirements defined by international metastandards into the regional or national level is crucial for its successful implementation and consequent global recognition. The main aim of this study is to examine the latest PEFC national sustainable forest management standard revision process in the Slovak Republic from the viewpoint of stakeholder participation. To assess the success and effectiveness of the process the emphasis is on the evaluation of the level of stakeholder participation, their expectations and contribution to the process and barriers and opportunities for participation. More specifically, trust among participating stakeholders, conflicts resolution and overall satisfaction with the results achieved is examined. The results of the study revealed that the stakeholders involved in the revision process are well informed about the PEFC certification in Slovakia and understand its importance for SFM processes. Additionally, stakeholders are fully aware of their roles in the participatory process linking them with the roles of their organisations. Results also indicate that formal rules of consensus-based participation informal aspects such as voluntary self-exclusion, education of the participants contributed to the improvement of trust between the participants, overall satisfaction and the perception of the revision process as effective. As the importance of participation in forest certification for forestry policy also lies in learning processes, revealed relations can be a useful benchmark for other countries with lacking or inadequate culture of participation and their mutual comparison.

Environmental certification of woody charcoal: A choice experiments application

The European market of woody charcoal is characterized by low transparency about the origin of the raw material, with negative consequences on forest management and legality. Thus, certifications that guarantee the sustainable management of forests or the chain of custody are fundamental tools for reaching sustainability. However, certification schemes covered a minor share of the market. This work is the first attempt to assess the consumers' preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for certified woody charcoal with guaranteed origin and quality, using an Italian case study and choice experiments. The results show that local origin is an important driver for the choice: regional products are associated with a 2 to 4 times higher WTP than European ones, and the ratio is even higher considering the extra-EU origin. The majority of the choices (80%) included alternatives with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) options, although we found a lower WTP than for the origin. Since a smaller proportion of respondents said they looked at the presence of certifications on the label, it is possible that a lack of knowledge about certifications influenced the results. Moreover, the sample included mostly males, who are usually less willing to pay for sustainability certifications than females. The outcomes highlighted that there is enough space for developing woody charcoal supply chains, using both origin and sustainability certifications. However, educating and informing consumers must be considered a key aspect of the success of such an initiative.

The impact of forest management certification on exports in the wood sector: Evidence from French firm-level data

Forest certification, originally introduced to promote sustainable forest management and protect forests from threats such as deforestation, has become a large-scale market tool. There is no consensus in the literature on the impact of forest certification on exports. Few studies have analyzed the impact of forest management certification on exports, and none have analyzed this effect at the firm level, taking into account firm heterogeneity. The current paper aims to fill this gap by analyzing the impact of the difference in the level of forest management certification between an exporting country and importing or destination countries. In particular, we determine how this impact differs by firm size. Our study focuses on the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). We use a panel of exports of wood and wood products at the level of French firms. We find that when the level of forest management certification in the exporting country increases relative to that of the importing countries, exports increase; but this occurs to a lesser extent as firm size increases. This result is robust to the various additional analyses. For example, an increase in the difference in the share of PEFC-certified forests by 0.15 is associated with a 90% increase in the value of exports. We also find heterogeneity by product category, geographic area, and income level of destination countries. Our study highlights the role played by forest certification on exports and the need to develop forest certification in a market-driven manner.

Price premiums for certified wood products in Japan: A case study on cutting boards made of Japanese Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa)

Forest certification is slowly but steadily expanding in Japan, with the total area of certified forest being around 2.5 million ha or 10% of all forestland. However, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) products are still uncommon because few companies undertake CoC (Chain of Custody) certification. We conducted experimental sales of FSC certified and non-certified cutting boards with different designs and sizes made of Hinoki or Japanese Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) on an internet shopping website. We prepared the same products from FSC certified and non-certified wood and sold them simultaneously at different prices. Customers interested in purchasing cutting boards could choose either and were aware of the prices. The largest cutting board was 460 mm × 240 mm × 30 mm, with the basic price of JPY 3,600, and the smallest was 200 mm × 200 mm × 25 mm, with the basic price of JPY 2,950. We considered four price difference levels, between 20% and 50%, for a period of around six months. In total, 22% of customers chose certified products at a 20% price premium, 14% chose a certified product at a 30% price premium, 10% chose a certified product at a 40% price premium, and 10% chose a certified product at a 50% price premium. All price premiums were found to be statistically significant. Therefore, price premiums for FSC certified products are feasible up to 50% for small wood products such as cutting boards. These findings can help forest owners and the wood industry consider the potential of forest certification.

Effectiveness and Economic Viability of Forest Certification: A Systematic Review

In the face of accelerating forest degradation and deforestation, forest certification emerged in the early 1990s as a voluntary and market-based mechanism to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests. A key goal of forest certification is to reduce forest degradation and deforestation while enhancing forest enterprises’ economic viability. However, whether forest certification contributes to meeting such goals is unclear. We conducted a systematic literature review on such impacts, reviewing empirical studies published between 1993 and 2021 regarding the impact of forest certification on forest degradation, deforestation, and economic viability. Drawing on 98 empirical studies, we analyzed these impacts and provide an overview of the studies’ findings in terms of geographical distribution, indicators considered, and the certification schemes assessed. We found that the impact of forest certification on deforestation has been specifically understudied (n = 11) compared to forest degradation (n = 42) and economic viability (n = 45). On deforestation, studies have focused on Africa (45%) and South America (36%); on forest degradation, studies have focused on Europe (40%) and Asia (20%); on economic viability, studies have focused on Asia (33%), Europe (33%) and South America (20%). We found positive-neutral (54%; 46%) impacts on deforestation, positive-neutral-mixed (70%; 21%; 9%) impacts on forest degradation and positive-negative-mixed (50%; 33%; 17%) impacts on economic viability. We did not find clear evidence that impact is linked to a specific region or certification scheme. However, scarce evidence on the impacts of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), the application of various methods, and site-specific indicators in the individual studies challenge such comparison and hamper the generalization of findings. This systematic review provides an overview of the state-of-the-art research on the effectiveness and economic viability of forest certification, evaluates and discusses the current evidence base, and concludes with future research lines.

Professionals’ Feedback on the PEFC Fair Supply Chain Project Activated in Italy after the “Vaia” Windstorm

In the fall of 2018, the “Vaia” windstorm grounded around 8.5 million m3 of timber in northeastern Italy. Soon after, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) Italy activated a project called “fair supply chain” to promote the purchase of timber from the damaged areas at a reasonable price. The initiative was addressed at forest owners, forest and processing enterprises, retailers, and supporting organizations. This study reports the results of a survey performed to assess the effectiveness of the project two years after its launch. The survey, in the form of a questionnaire submitted to all adhering organizations, investigated different aspects such as motivations for adherence to the project, satisfaction with the project, sale of the labeled material, and promotion of the specific label. The results provide a detailed outline of the above aspects. Through the various findings, the project is perceived as effective in supporting the region, enhancing an organizations’ image, and limiting price fall. Yet, further efforts should be aimed at increasing networking and business opportunities. Some recommendations are also offered for similar projects in the future, as forest disturbances are increasing worldwide in frequency and intensity due to climate change.

Forest Stewardship Council and Responsible Wood certification in the integrated pest management in Australian forest plantations

Certification programs may include market access benefits for those business that have certified voluntarily, but there are also other consequences, such as the ban on the use of certain chemical pesticides imposed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) that can negatively affect integrated pest management. The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) was created in response to FSC standards and includes national certification schemes such as the Responsible Wood (RW), previously known as the Australian Forestry Standard (AFS). The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of FSC and RW/PEFC certification on practices of integrated pest management from the perspective of Australian forest growers. Questionnaires were emailed to all organizations in Australia with forest plantations certified by FSC and/or RW/PEFC. The questionnaire addressed the importance of forest pest groups, pest control techniques, chemical pesticides (insecticides and herbicides) in derogation; the advantages and disadvantages of integrated pest management related to the certification; and satisfaction with certification in relation to pest management. The two insecticides in derogation were considered unnecessary by most of Australian growers. FSC promoted more changes in integrated pest management than RW. Half the FSC-certified companies stated that they had greater costs associated with integrated pest management to adequately meet certification. RW-certified growers were more satisfied than FSC-certified ones, but both groups stated that they would maintain certification in a scenario without further insecticide derogation. The main changes in pest management for FSC-certified companies were with preventive techniques that reduce the use and dependence on insecticides. The environmental and social side of FSC prevailed in these changes. Raising certification rigor can increase costs, making certification impracticable, forcing companies to adopt less restrictive schemes or simply not certify.

Cork from Quercus suber L.: Forest certification system for sustainable management of cork oak forests

Cork is the outer bark of the cork oak (Quercus suber L.), it is a secondary protection structure of tree, and its chemical composition is different from that of other lignocellulosic materials, as wood, agricultural, or forestry wastes. The best cork sheets are used to manufacture natural cork stoppers, vital in the aging process of “great” wines. It is a Mediterranean species covering an overall area of 2,139,942 hectares; Portugal and Spain countries where it occupies a larger area. This paper was developed to assess the possibility of implementing a system of payment for ecosystem services and/or a certification of forest management for small stands of cork oak privately owned areas of less than 25 hectares. The process is leaded by the Regional Groups of Forest Certification and Chain of Custody, main regional institutions. The system used is the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). As specified by the multifunctional forestry applied in these ecosystems, its main use is the production of natural cork stoppers for the quality aging wines. The cork oak forests are living representatives of sustainability and a driving force of sustainable development.

A Comparative Analysis of Five Forest Certification Programs

International expansion of forest certification programs has occurred over the last three decades. Both public and private organizations have shown increased interest in becoming certified by one or more forest certification bodies, to assure the public that forest resources are managed adequately in sustaining forest health and socio-economic viability. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) program is globally used as a benchmark to implement forest certification at the national and regional levels. The Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) and the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) are also used throughout the United States. In Europe, individual countries such as Bulgaria and Turkey have also developed national forest certification programs. The SFI, ATFS and Bulgarian programs are further endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). The results of a qualitative analysis comparing the FSC forest certification program with the SFI, the ATFS, and the two European national programs (Bulgarian and Turkish) suggest that differences in these programs are not necessarily related to their language, but to the level of detail and prescriptiveness of each program. We find that the FSC is much more detailed and prescriptive in nearly all aspects considered for forest certification. In particular, we find that most of the elements considered in the FSC Principle 6 (Environmental Impact) are either only superficial, or not addressed at all, in the other four programs. Furthermore, the other programs appear to be less comprehensive and detailed in the substance of the FSC monitoring and assessment principles. In a few areas, the Turkish program requires more quantitative indicators for assessing forest management than the other programs. Though a comparison of the legal framework related to forest management in each of the studied countries was briefly introduced, our study focuses on the certification schemes themselves; it may contribute to policy discussions in the future development and implementation of other certification programs.

Analysis of Socioeconomic Impacts of the FSC and PEFC Certification Systems on Business Entities and Consumers

The article discusses the issues of effectiveness of the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) certification systems in relation to enterprises and the level to which the systems which present sustainability as a part of their ethos are accepted by consumers. The justifiability and topicality of this issue result from the increasingly strong interest in sustainability of the society as a whole as well as from the long-term vision of sector policies with respect to meeting the objectives of sustainable development. The increasing demand for natural resources exerts pressure on our planet. Sustainability is hence essential for our future and has long been in the centre of the European project. Its economic, social and environmental aspects which form the common objective of society have been acknowledged in EU agreements. A principal document of a global nature is the 2030 UN Agenda for Development, a sustainability programme which has the sustainability of forest ecosystems established in its Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. Visions, direction and goals of sustainable development have also been stipulated in the Paris Agreement on climate change (COP21), in the Addis Ababa action programme and in The Future We Want declaration, namely in its Chapter II, which appeals to enterprises and industries for developing strategies which would contribute to sustainable development. This study aims to analyse and assess the justifiability of the existence of certification systems in relation to processing operators and end consumers in the Czech Republic. From the results of the study, it can be concluded that, despite the strong representation of selected certification systems in the Czech Republic, their effectiveness in economic, social and environmental terms is not perceived exclusively positive by businesses and consumers.

Formulating policy recommendations for potential rubber plantation owners and rubber wood consumers in Thailand to obtain international forest management certification

The severity of environmental problems affecting air, soil, water, biodiversity, and forests, prompted relevant organizations to create mechanisms to prevent and manage these problems. One of these key mechanisms is Forest Certification, which is classified into two types, namely, Forest Management Certification (FM) and Chain of Custody Certification (CoC). The FM and CoC are certified by the relevant organization such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). These mechanisms will have an impact on the industry and commerce that use wood and tree products as a production base because of wood product importers may only import the certified products. This research project was designed to formulate policy recommendations for the potential development of rubber plantation owners and rubber wood consumers in Thailand to obtain international forest management certification. This was done using research data from two subprojects, namely, subproject 1: The analysis of rubber plantations on forest management certification status in Thailand, and subproject 2: Analysis of the factors affecting forest management certification of rubber plantations in Thailand. This resulted into four main policy recommendations in four broad areas: 1) Formulation of national policies and strategies to promote and access the forest certification systems for rubber plantation owners and rubber wood consumers; 2) Development of relevant organizations to promote and support forest certification in Thailand by determination and development of governmental organizations with the mission and potential in problem solving/negotiation and the potential developments of rubber plantation owners and rubber wood consumers for the whole system; 3) Development and availability of rubber plantation owners and rubber wood consumers in Thailand to obtain international certification; and 4) Research support in response to the development of forest certification in Thailand

Forest certification map of Europe

Abstract: Forests cover nearly 40% of European land, with different country percentage and patchy distribution. The European forestry sector highlights that forest areas have different ownership: private (by firms, individual, or organizations) and public (State, communities or municipalities). The number of forestry holdings, size of landholding, and ownership types influence and drive forest management, governance and various other socio-economic linked issues. Moreover, forest owners determine management objectives and policies which influence the application of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) practices. Several tools were developed to promote SFM, including forest certification. Numerous forest certification schemes are present across the world but the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) are those prevalent. However, a map of certified forests is lacking, although mapping would be essential to locate the percentage of forest that are certified to be sustainably managed. The study mapped forest certification across 43 European states, according to 499 FSC and 284 PEFC reports and assessed the proportion of certified forest area on public and private land and the rate of increase. This research was carried out collecting information on European certified forest companies/owners and locating geographically their forests at sub-national level (regions, NUTS 2). The database of the Joint COST Action FACESMAP/UNECE/FAO was an important data source. At European level, about six percent of the forest is certified under FSC scheme, while about seven percent under PEFC scheme. As forest certification is a useful tool to manage forests aiming at the integration of economic, ecological and social sustainability, the knowledge of the location and area of certified forest in Europe could be important in motivating decision makers to increase these sustainably managed areas.

Understanding Sustainable Forest Management Certification in Slovakia: Forest Owners’ Perception of Expectations, Benefits and Problems

Forest certification as a voluntary verification tool has been providing an independent assessment of sustainable forestry practices and thus confidence in sustainability benchmarks for over 20 years. Using either the international or national approaches and initiatives, two main forest certification systems, PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), have spread in a number of countries worldwide. The specifics of local conditions in the forestry sector have to be taken into account when implementing the certification context in a given country or a region. Apart from the natural conditions, institutional structure, or legislative framework, it is also the local and national stakeholders and their perception of this issue that provides the background for the implementation of the certification criteria. The main objective of this study is to examine the general understanding of the certification concept as an environmental, economic, and social tool, and to determine the incentives of forest owners in Slovakia for sustainable forest management (SFM) certification. In addition, the benefits and problems arising from participation in certification were identified and differences reflecting the ownership structure of forests, size of forest area, and participation in a particular certification programme were analysed. Results indicate that certified forest owners, unlike non-certified, demonstrated a high level of understanding of the SFM certification concept. Certified entities mainly consider forest certification as their commitment to environmental responsibility and a tool for improving external company image, promoting sustainable utilisation of forest resources, and improving forest management practices. The main benefits are linked to the possibility to demonstrate forest management practices, a better understanding of the forest management concept, and improvement of forest management practices. PEFC users perceive more benefits following from certification; the most important are those associated with non-economic values, while FSC-certified forest owners perceive mainly economic benefits connected to market penetration, increased sales volume, and potential price premiums. The key problems associated with certification relate to duties to ensure compliance with certification criteria by contractors and administrative difficulties. Respondents reported minimum price premiums for the sale of their certified timber. Additionally, the findings of the study pointed out that a nationally developed certification system can better recognise the roles and objectives of forest certification in the context of forest policy.

Assessment of Chain-of-Custody Certification in the Czech and Slovak Republic

Forest certification is a voluntary verification tool that has been gaining importance within the global sustainability issues as an independent verification tool for sustainable forest management and wood processing industry and as an influencer in private and public purchasing policies and a component of emerging wood harvesting and trade legality schemes. This study focuses on the chain-of-custody (CoC) component of forest certification. A survey of CoC certified companies in the Czech Republic and Slovakia was carried out to explore the understanding of the concept and role of forest and CoC certification as an environmental, economic, and social tool. It aimed to determine expectations following from the implementation of CoC certification by companies and to identify difficulties in existing certified wood product supply chains and costs related to purchase and sales of certified forest products, respectively. Results indicate that respondents demonstrated a high level of understanding of the CoC concept and that they link forest certification mainly to the issues of legality, tracing the origin source of supply and promotion of sustainable utilisation of wood. The main expected benefits are linked to the improvement of an external company image followed by penetration of new markets and increase of sales volume. CoC is not considered a tool to improve internal company performance and efficiency. The key problems connected to certified supply chains relate to the sufficient quantity of certified forest products, low margins and overpriced certified material inputs. Respondents reported none or minimum price premiums for their certified products over non-certified alternatives. Several differences related to the understanding of the sustainable forest management concept and the level of price premium paid for certified inputs were identified between the PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified companies as well as between the different forest products sectors.

Assessment of Compliance with PEFC Forest Certification Indicators with Remote Sensing

The majority of Finnish forests (95%) are certified by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). It is a worldwide leading forest certification scheme. The aim of this study is to analyze the Finnish National Standard of PEFC certification and identify the indicators that can be reliably estimated with remote sensing (RS) techniques. The retrieved data are further verified with a chosen geographical information system (GIS) application. The rapid increase in certified areas globally has created a certain level of mistrust that makes the evaluation by certification bodies (CB) questionable. Firstly, the area of the field audit is limited, and the verification results are based on sampling techniques. Secondly, the evaluation of the indicators of sustainable forest management (SFM) is based on auditor expertise and thus is prone to bias. Thirdly, the actual condition of large forest stands in Eastern and Northern Finland are not easy to determine and verify. Thus, PEFC certification in Finland, in particular, faces numerous challenges in regard to the quality of field assessment due to the intensive forest management model with a high number of annual felling sites. At the same time, small scale and scattered harvesting sites are difficult to assess. Our proposed approach combined with remote assessment reliably verified 18% of the standard and could substantially reduce the costs associated with field audits in Finland. The results from our verification analysis are spatially explicit and geographically referenced and can be published in open access portals for interested parties. Moreover, it provides improved transparency in field assessments for the PEFC certification. The novel approach proposed here requires further investigation at larger scales (e.g., national level).

Third-Party Certification of Forest Management In Indonesia: Analysing Stakeholders' Recognition and Preferences

The existence of third-party forest and timber certification schemes in Indonesia has created benefits and challenges, mainly for forest industries. In the end, the interests and objectives of those industries will determine whether they decide to get certified and if so, what certification schemes they will use. This study analyses the stakeholder recognition of the competing forest legality and sustainability certification systems and describes the preferences for particular schemes based on stakeholder interests. Online questionnaires were distributed to relevant stakeholders, namely logging companies, wood processing industries, wood processing associations, auditors, academics, environmental organisations and government officials. The results indicate that there are different scheme preferences based on the stakeholder's interests. Sistem verifikasi legalitas kayu (SVLK) is the most frequently preferred scheme due to the simplicity of its requirements and the low cost of its certifying process, while the Forest stewardship council (FSC) is valued for its reputation and very high standards. Furthermore, lembaga ekolabel Indonesia (LEI) was least preferred because of its complexity and because it was unpopular with foreign end buyers, and the programme for the endorsement of forest certification (PEFC) was identified as being a complex scheme that was expensive and subject to high standards, and also appeared to have the least demand. Each scheme should be improved based on stakeholders' expectations, that their popularity with end buyers of timber products should be improved, and that this should be done in a way that allows logging and wood processing industries to choose freely the scheme that is most advantageous to them.

Impact of European Union Timber Regulation on Forest Certification Strategies in the Finnish Wood Industry Value Chain

The aim of this explorative study is to find out how the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) has affected the forest and chain of custody (CoC) certification strategies and practices among the Finnish wood industry companies. We are especially interested to find out whether more integrated strategies and collaborative networks have emerged for enhanced communications throughout the industry value chains. This qualitative interview study included both EUTR ex ante and ex post analysis, based on three rounds of managerial and expert interviews during 2011–2015. The results indicate that the EUTR appears to have enforced the supplier–client relations in the Finnish wood industry value chain. The sector still lacks integrated communication strategies with better understanding of customer and stakeholder values, which could contribute to more cohesive communication and marketing efforts reflecting the values of the whole industry. The certification practices are fairly spontaneously implemented following the traditional industry culture, which is not supportive of innovations and gaining competitive advantages in the broader material markets. Furthermore, the existence of two parallel forest certificates (Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)) seems to hamper the effective communication and building of an image of sustainable wood products among customers and end consumers, groups that are also exposed to more general environmental communication, e.g., in the building material markets.

Forest Certification and ISO 14001: Current State and Motivation in Forest Companies

AbstractIn this study, we explore the current state of specific corporate responsibility practices in the global forest sector. We compare the motivations for the leading forest industry companies to invest in certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), and in the ISO 14001 environmental management system. For the empirical investigation, we use quantitative survey data collected from 60 of the world's leading forestry companies. This study's empirical results indicate that incentives for adopting forest certification are more often external rather than internal, and more market driven than regulation driven, which would suggest the dominance of extrinsic motivation. The results also indicate that the adoption of ISO 14001 certification represents a reactive strategic approach, emphasizing customer satisfaction as a key motivation. Motivations differ depending on the firm's business sector and the geographical location of its headquarters. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Perspectives and Attitudes of Forest Products Industry Companies on the Chain of Custody Certification: A Case Study From Turkey

The perspectives and attitudes of the companies of the forest products industry operating in the fields of solid wood products, pulp, paper and paperboard products, engineered wood products and furniture manufacturing in Turkey on the chain of custody certification system and certified forest products were investigated. Within this scope, face-to-face interviews were conducted with the managers or owners of 177 companies. The data were obtained by using the questionnaire technique. The research methods included descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance and the Duncan test. As a result, it was detected that there are differences in the perspectives and attitudes towards the chain of custody certification system of the companies operating in the four main branches of the forest products industry in Turkey. It was revealed by this survey that chain of custody (CoC) certification was known mostly by the companies operating in pulp, paper and paperboard companies. The certification most demanded is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) CoC certification, with a share of 15%; and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) CoC is demanded by 2% of companies.

Forest management certification around the world –Progress and problems

Certification to approved forest management standards is a recognized business practice. There are two international forest certification programs: the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The common objective of both is to improve forest management and provide assurance to the public and customers that forest products come from sustainably managed forests and not from illegal operations. As of June 2011 there were approximately 372 million ha of certified forests around the world. There are 234 million ha of forests in 26 countries that have been certified to standards approved by PEFC. There are143 million ha of forest certified to FSC standards in 81 countries. In 20 of these countries, with101 million ha (70%), the forests have been certified to standards approved by FSC. In the remaining 61 countries, 42 million ha (30%), the forests have been certified to draft or “interim standards” that have not gone through the FSC approval process. Consumers have no way of knowing whether the wood or paper products with an FSC label are from forests certified to FSC-approved standards or to “interim standards” developed by FSC certification bodies.