Dear reader,

a few highlights from the closing year: The certified wood market continued to grow despite the global financial crisis. During the FSC General Assembly, consensus was reached on the way forward for FSC. Both EU and the US have taken significant steps to control the import of illegal timber, and the Global Risk Assessment website was launched, a buyer's tool that may help to bring illegal and destructive logging to an end. Finally, 2008 was the year when the world re-discovered the significance of forests in carbon sequestration. Thank you for your commitment to responsible forestry - we wish you all a merry Christmas and a prosperous new year!

Your NEPCon Team

NEPCon's FSC-accredited partner the Rainforest Alliance has issued an FSC certificate covering the largest forest management group ever to be FSC-certified. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Managed Forest Law group of family forest landowners has more than 40,000 private properties managing almost 880,000 hectares 
Go to Rainforest Alliance press release

The importance of forests in climate change was hard to overlook at the UN climate conference in Poznan which took place in early December. While the role of forests in the post-Kyoto protocol remains unclear, the voluntary market for forest-based climate initiatives is already well-established and several schemes are available Read more

At least 50% of the purchases made by public agencies in EU countries must fulfil green procurement criteria within the next year. The criteria are likely to include the FSC and PEFC labels for wood-based products Read more 

Norway now has its own FSC-accredited National Initiative. The NI has already developed a draft national FSC forest management standard Read more

SGS Qualifor in Poland has now regained its accreditation, which was suspended earlier this year Read more

PEFC has adopted new rules for using the PEFC logo on- and off-product. Existing holders of a PEFC logo license have one year's transition period to adjust to the new rules Read more

The PEFC Council has amended the PEFC chain of custody rules, applicable for those companies using the volume credit system Download amendment to Annex 4

The Danish PEFC standard for forest management now includes requirements regarding the competences of forest machine drivers. Please contact NEPCon or PEFC Denmark for further information about the new requirements.

FSC-Germany is organizing an FSC booth at the Interzum Fair taking place during 13-16 May 2009, and offers extensive service to participants joining the booth. Interzum is a leading international trade fair for suppliers of the furniture industry and interior finishing segment Read more