As from 1st of January 2008, the FSC requires all FSC chain of custody certified companies using non FSC-certified virgin material to comply with the FSC Controlled Wood standard. Secondary manufacturers and printing houses need to adapt prior to their 2008 audit. Read more

Heiko Liedeker, Executive Director of the FSC, has announced his decision to resign from his position. But not for want of success: During Liedeker’s leadership period, the FSC has developed fast. Today the FSC label is the most well-known forest certification brand in the global marketplace. Read more

The well-known corporation Xerox has achieved FSC as well as PEFC multi-site chain of custody certificates covering 77 sites in Europe, the US and Canada. Xerox is one of the world's largest brands for cut-sheet paper. Read more

NEPCon will soon be represented in Finland. On the 1st of January, Finnish Kjell-Owe Ahlskog will start in a new position as manager of NEPCon’s activities in Sweden and Finland. Coming from a long-term position in IKEA, and with experience from a large Swedish forestry company, Ahlskog is well equipped for the task. Read more

The registration for NEPCon's next forest management auditor course has started. The course will be held on 29-31 January 2008 in Poland. Highly experienced auditors and trainers will guide you through the forest management certification and auditing technique know-how. Read more

Soon more than 1 million envelopes used annually by DHL Express in Poland will be carrying the FSC logo. Responding to demands from DHL Express, two suppliers in its supply chain have achieved FSC chain of custody certification. Read more

The new FSC chain of custody standard allows up to 5 percent minor non-controlled components in assembled products. The intention of this rule was to help especially small-scale manufacturers, but the FSC may have failed this goal by introducing a complex derogation procedure. Read more

During November 12-13, NEPCon conducted a random FSC audit in the State Forest Management Center (RMK) in Estonia. The audit purpose was to evaluate compliance of RMK’s forest management activities with the FSC certification criteria related to planned and actual felling volumes.

The need for extra audit emerged when the State Audit Office presented an audit report on RMK activities. The report indicated some problems in RMK’s activities and several drawbacks were related to its compliance with the FSC forest management standard. This audit was conducted based on the SmartWood Interim Forest Management Standard in Estonia. The main focus was on the standard criteria 5.6; 7.1; 8.2 and 8.4. The above mentioned standard is available on NEPCon homepage (in the documents section).

The auditor evaluated compliance based on information provided by RMK during the audit and considering consistent international implementation of FSC policies. During the audit, one minor non-compliance against evaluated criteria of the FSC standard was discovered and one Corrective Action Request (CAR) was raised.

The CAR is related to the monitoring of actual felling volumes compared to the allowed maximum felling volumes. Although information about planned and actual felling volumes exists in RMK, the audit showed that RMK lacks consistent, and systematic post-harvesting monitoring to check that actual felling volumes are in accordance with maximum allowable volumes. Due to this it was also not possible to evaluate during the audit based on documented information that the felling volumes do not exceed sustainable levels.

The auditor also raised an observation regarding the need for public communication regarding the methodology of felling volumes calculation for reporting felling figures to the national bureau of statistics. There is a noted, albeit small, inconsistency between the sales and the felling volumes in RMK due to the difference in measuring methodology.

A public summary of the random audit report as well as reports from earlier audits are available for download on Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood Program homepage: http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/programs/forestry/smartwood/public-summary-reports.html.

The Rainforest Alliance is an FSC accredited certifier.

The audit was conducted by the experienced international auditor Flemming Sehested from Denmark.

Contact:
Hando Hain
Manager of NEPCon OÜ
Cell phone: 56 67 9888
E-mail: hh@nepcon.net
www.nepcon.net


Additional information:
NEPCon OÜ is a subsidiary of NEPCon. NEPCon is conducting FSC and PEFC chain of custody and forest management certification audits in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and Russia. NEPCon is a certification partner of the FSC-accredited Rainforest Alliance  and the official representative of the Rainforest Alliance's SmartWood Program in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and Russia. Additional information about the Rainforest Alliance and the SmartWood Forest Certification Program is available on the Rainforest Alliance's homepage www.rainforest-alliance.org.

RMK is a state profit organization established based on the Forest Law with main purpose to manage the Estonian state forests in a sustainable and effective manner (web: www.rmk.ee). The RMK is holding an FSC responsible forest management certificate since February 2002. The certificate was renewed for a 5 year period in January 2007.

The Japanese demand for FSC certified timber from Russia seems likely to grow. In November, senior Japanese politicians visited the Russian Far East in order to explore the possibilities for Japanese buyers to meet Japan's green timber procurement policy. Read more 

Lesy České republiky, s.p., LS Nymburk, LHC Žehrov in the Czech Republic is undergoing FSC forest management and chain of custody certification assessments. The assessment will be carried out by NEPCon during late December.  Read more in English or in Czech

The PEFC has launched an on-line search function where it is possible to confirm the validity and status of all issued PEFC certificates. You can also search for valid PEFC certificates in a country or within a main business category. This is valuable in particular for PEFC certified companies wishing to check the certification status of their suppliers, or looking for new suppliers. Check it out here 

Yet another standard will soon be added to the already large pile of rules applicable to FSC chain of custody certification. We describe the deadlines and provide essential guidance to companies struggling to find their way through the maze of policies. Read more

As from New Year, some assembled product containing non-certified parts may no longer be sold as FSC-certified. Furniture makers and other producers may find it difficult to comply with the requirements. Read more

Home furnishing giant IKEA now has one more regular supplier of FSC certified furniture parts in Poland. The company "Swedwood Poland - Skoczow plant" has received an FSC chain of custody certificate.  Read more

The FSC has launched an on-line platform which allows companies to produce their own on-product labels in a simple way. The site contains graphical trademark materials as well as guidance for on-product and promotional use of the FSC trademarks Read more

SmartWood has completed the pre-assessment of more than 80,000 ha of Russian state forest managed by OAO Zelennikovskoye.

SmartWood has completed the pre-assessment of more than 80,000 ha of Russian state forest managed by OAO Zelennikovskoye. As a result of the pre-assessment, the SmartWood team advised Zelennikovskoye to continue the certification process and implement the recommendations given by the assessment team. The main assessment is planned for September-October 2003. Anyone interested in receiving further information or giving comments on certification process is welcome to contact Kristjan Tõnisson.

See also a more detailed public announcement of the certification process...

Surveillance Audit of State forest management centre (RMK) located in Estonia will be carried out by NEPCon during December 3.-6., 2007.
State forest management centre (RMK) is managing 1 082 600 ha of public lands, including 816 500 ha of forest land. Read more

A recent study conducted by the consulting company Éem Incorporated concludes that the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is the most effective certification system for achieving environmentally responsible forest management in Canada. Read more

According to new figures released by Transparency International, corruption remains widespread in Russia and most of Eastern Europe. This implies increased requirements to evaluate risks when sourcing wood from non-controversial sources as defined by the FSC and PEFC systems Read more

Huty SFE in Ukraine is undergoing FSC forest management and chain of custody certification assessments. The assessment will be conducted in October 2007. Read more in English or Ukrainian.

Horodnitsa SFE in Ukraine is undergoing FSC forest management and chain of custody certification assessments. The assessment will be conducted in October 2007. Read more in English or Ukrainian.

Aitos State Forestry Unit in Bulgaria is undergoing FSC forest management and chain of custody certification assessments. The assessment will be conducted in October 2007. Read more in English or Bulgarian.

NEPCon is organizing three FSC auditor training courses this fall. The training provides participants with updated knowledge about different aspects of FSC certification requirements and related auditing techniques. All three events are open for a limited number of participants. Read more

Gramatikovo State Forestry Unit in Bulgaria is undergoing FSC forest management and chain of custody certification assessments. The assessment will be conducted in October 2007. Read more in English or Bulgarian

Staro Oryahovo State Forestry Unit in Bulgaria is undergoing FSC forest management and chain of custody certification assessments. The assessment will be conducted by NEPCon in October 2007. Read more in English or Bulgarian

Now is your last chance to present you comments to the  next generation of the FSC’s chain of custody standard (FSC-STD-40-004). The new standard is expected to become applicable for all companies applying for certification from the beginning of 2008, and will be fully enforced for all certificate holders from beginning of 2009. Read more

The Rainforest Alliance has issued an FSC certificate for the smallest forest area ever FSC certified in Russia. The certificate holder is a company located in the Komi region. Though small in size, the operation aims high within corporate responsibility. Read more

NEPCon is organizing a seminar about FSC and PEFC chain of custody certification and other tools to document the origin and legality of wood products. The event is taking place on Monday 22 October at Hotel Scandic Glostrup near Copenhagen. During most of the event, the language will be Danish.

NEPCon is organizing a seminar about FSC and PEFC chain of custody certification and other tools to document the origin and legality of wood products. The event is taking place on Monday 22 October at Hotel Scandic Glostrup near Copenhagen. During most of the event, the language will be Danish.

The purpose of the seminar is to present existing options which companies have for the documentation of the origin, legality and/or sustainability of their wood products. Furthermore, FSC and PEFC certified companies will get updated information about important recent changes in current certification requirements.

The main target groups of the seminar are companies who:

* are interested in FSC and/or PEFC chain of custody certified
* already holding a certificate;
* are taking other steps to document the origin and legality of their wood and paper products.

Contents

The following issues will be presented during the seminar:

* The development within forest and chain of custody certification, with special focus on North and Eastern Europe
* Presentation of the certification organizations FSC and PEFC
* Presentation of tools which contribute to documenting origin and legality
* Introduction to chain of custody standards and overview of changes in the requirements
* Presentation of FSC's Controlled Wood standard and PEFC's Controversial Sources standard.
* Status for Controlled wood and FSC certification in Finland.
* Overview of deadlines for the phasing in of new standards.
* Discussion and clarification of participants' questions.

Cost of participation
The price for participating in the event is 750 DKK for NEPCon's clients and 1,000 DKK for other participants.

Want to sign up?
Participants must sign up before 12 October. Participants signing up earlier than the 20 September receive a 10% discount. You can sign up by sending an e-mail to Anne-Sofie Forfang at asf@nepcon.net.

More information
More details about the seminar are available in Danish here.

A bizarre situation in Russia, where two competing national certification systems are both applying for PEFC endorsement, seems to be far from resolution. After more than one year of attempts to overcome the difficulties it is hard to see any progress, and a further delay may be expected before a functional PEFC system appears on the Russian scene.

A bizarre situation in Russia, where two competing national certification systems are both applying for PEFC endorsement, seems to be far from resolution. After more than one year of attempts to overcome the difficulties it is hard to see any progress, and a further delay may be expected before a functional PEFC system appears on the Russian scene.

The competing systems are The Russian National System for Forest Certification (FCR) and The Russian System for
Voluntary Forest Certification (RSFC). Through applying for PEFC endorsement, the FCR scheme has made an effort to harmonize its standards with FSC requirements as well, and this scheme is supported by the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources.

The two national systems have been unable to find sufficient compromise to merge, however last year it was decided to create an umbrella organization, Partnership for Forest Certification Development in Russia. The partnership is to present the interests of both national systems in the context of PEFC certification, thus bringing the process forward. However, the partnership approach has so far not resulted in any visible progress. An international workshop on forest certification held on 20 June in Moscow focused on PEFC development, but provided no clear directions that would finally make the PEFC system operative in Russia.

On 8 August, the FCR system released a press statement jointly with the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources announcing that the FCR certification system is now “established”. However, the basis for this message remains entirely obscure. The FCR system was already developed and registered in October 2006, and the next logical step would be to establish a system for the accreditation of certification bodies operating under this system. But apparently such a system is not in place yet. Thus, confusion continues to prevail as regards the future of the two national systems and PEFC in Russia.

Meanwhile, FSC certification has already been operating in Russia for several years and is developing fast. Almost 17 million hectares are currently FSC certified, and 51 FSC Chain of Custody certificates have so far been issued for various companies in Russia.

A group of 6 Belarusian state forest enterprises, joined together in the Mogilev Regional Forest Board, has lost its FSC certificate due to non-compliances with the FSC requirements. The group manages an area of more than 500,000 hectares and was the holder of the second largest FSC certificate in Belarus. After the suspension, close to 2 million hectares remain FSC-certified in the country.

A group of 6 Belarusian state forest enterprises, joined together in the Mogilev Regional Forest Board, has lost its FSC certificate due to non-compliances with the FSC requirements. The group manages an area of more than 500,000 hectares and was the holder of the second largest FSC certificate in Belarus. After the suspension, close to 2 million hectares remain FSC-certified in the country.

In July, NEPCon conducted a field audit of the Mogilev group, following up on previously identified non-compliances. Although improvement was seen in some areas, a number of problematic areas were found to be inadequately addressed by the enterprises.

During field visits, the auditor team observed non-compliances related to dead wood management, designation of 5% of the territory as non-intervention forest, and labour safety – areas previously identified as weak and in need of substantial adjustment. Furthermore, the knowledge of biodiversity conservation among responsible employees was found to be insufficient, and no training covering biodiversity aspects had been provided for the staff. The audit team also concluded that many of the problems partly hinged on inadequate group management. Based on these results, the Rainforest Alliance decided to suspend the certificate.

The Mogilev Regional Forest Board will need to address these and a number of other management aspects in order to re-gain the FSC certificate. The audit report is available at http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/programs/forestry/smartwood/public_documents_country.cfm?country=8.

JSC Lesosibirsky LDK no.1 located in Krasnoyarsky krai, Russia, is undergoing FSC forest management and chain of custody certification re-assessment.  The operation manages a concession area of about 145,000 ha in Yeniseyskiy and Motyginskiy Leskhozes.

JSC Lesosibirsky LDK no.1 holds an FSC certificate issued by the certifier CU and which is valid until November 10, 2007. The certificate code is CU-FM/COC-805343.

This re-assessment will be carried out by NEPCon in collaboration with the Rainforest Alliance, and is scheduled for October 1-5 2007.

More details about the assessment

The two Polish state forests Poznan and Pila have re-gained their FSC certificates from the Rainforest Alliance, while the certification body SGS have suspended the certificate of Bialystok state forest. Read more

A new FSC standard, "Multi-site Certification of Chain of Custody Operations", has been approved by the FSC Board of Directors. It is intended for companies with several production facilities or holding companies with several daughter companies which can be covered by a single certificate.

A new FSC standard, "Multi-site Certification of Chain of Custody Operations", has been approved by the FSC Board of Directors. It is intended for companies with several production facilities or holding companies with several daughter companies which can be covered by a single certificate.

The new multi-site standard (FSC-STD-40-003) allows facilities in several countries to be covered by the same certificate. There is no specific limit set to the number of sites as long as the organisation has sufficient resources to be able to control fulfillment of CoC requirements from one central location. However, the standard sets out new requirements for companies to provide trainings to internal auditors and site managers, and demands that certified multi-site operations offer ongoing opportunities for learning.

Previously all sites within a multi-site certificate had to be located in the same country. Hando Hain, chain of custody expert in NEPCon, comments: "A growing number of trans-border companies now have the option to get a single certificate covering all of their sites, which may reduce the costs related to certification. Since the multi-site

standard requires a central control mechanism, it will mainly be useful for companies with a centralised administration and a streamlined tracking system which is used in all sites”.

The standard is to replace the current "FSC Guidelines for Sampling of Multi-site Organizations for Chain of Custody Certification" (FSC-POL-40-003). It is accompanied by a new accreditation standard for chain of custody evaluations (FSC-STD-20-011). Both standards have been consulted by two public drafts and have been pilot tested at the example of four multi-site organizations between November 2006 and March 2007.

The standard shall be used together with FSC’s Chain of Custody standard (FSC-STD-40-004), which shall be applied to the facilities included in the group. This standard is currently undergoing revision. FSC expects a new version (2.0) to be ready by the end of the year.

Date of enforcement
The standard will be in force from 1st of January 2009. By this date, all organizations holding or applying for a multi-site certificate must comply with the new standard. However, companies can be assessed according to the new standard already now.

The SmartWood Program of the Rainforest Alliance is conducting FSC forest management and chain of custody group certification assessment of Zapkarelles ZAO located in Republic of Karelia, Russia within concession sites of the total area of 813 791 ha on the territory of Suoyarvskiy and Porosozerckiy Leskhozes. This assessment will be carried out by NEPCon - a regional partner and the official representative of the SmartWood Program in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and Russia. The forest management certification assessment is scheduled to be carried out on September 24-29, 2007. Read more ...

The recent suspension of the FSC certificates of two State Forest Directorates causes concern among the Polish wood industry read more

The SmartWood Program of the Rainforest Alliance is conducting FSC forest management and chain of custody certification assessment of OOO Lesozagotovitelnaya kompaniya located in Komi Republic, Russia. This assessment will be carried out by NEPCon - a regional partner and the official representative of the SmartWood Program in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and Russia. The forest management certification assessment is scheduled to be carried out in July 23-26, 2007. Read more ...

A survey conducted during the past year shows that NEPCon’s certification clients are highly satisfied with our services. The survey also showed a positive development in customer satisfaction compared with previous years. Read more

 
NEPCon is involved in a working group developing criteria for identifying risks related to controlled wood in the Russian republic of Karelia. The project is expected to result in a controlled wood risk register covering the entire republic Read more

FSC certified oak, birch, pine and beech make up a substantial part of new rooms and halls constructed for the extension of the Prado Museum in Madrid. read more

 
Russia plans to go ahead with plans to raise export duties on roundwood dramatically. The move is likely to influence the development of certification in the forestry sector read more

The SmartWood Program of the Rainforest Alliance is conducting FSC forest management and chain of custody comprehensive certification assessment of Koigorodskiy Leskhoz GU and Kazhimskiy Leskhoz GU located in Komi Republic, Russia, which are managers of forest resources on state’s behalf at the area of 613 301 and 408 776 ha respectively. Koigorodskiy Leskhoz GU (group manager) has an FSC joint FM/COC certificate SW-FM/COC-1860 valid till 19.04.2011. Kazhimskiy Leskhoz GU wants to be a member of the group of Koigorodskiy Leskhoz GU after the completion of the comprehensive group certification assessment. This assessment will be carried out by NEPCon - a regional partner and the official representative of the SmartWood Program in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and Russia. The forest management certification assessment is scheduled to be carried out in July 2-6, 2007. Read more ...

On May 10th, Prague City, famous historic capital of the Czech Republic, received an FSC forest management certificate issued by the Rainforest Alliance. The certificate covers about 2,400 hectares of forestland owned and managed by the City of Prague. The certificate was issued based on a pre-assessment and full assessment conducted by NEPCon.

On May 10th, Prague City, famous historic capital of the Czech Republic, received an FSC forest management certificate issued by the Rainforest Alliance. The certificate covers about 2,400 hectares of forestland owned and managed by the City of Prague. The certificate was issued based on a pre-assessment and full assessment conducted by NEPCon.

Stakeholder relations drive certification
The certificate covers some of the most important recreational areas for the 1 million inhabitants of Prague as well as huge numbers of tourists. All forest areas owned by the City of Prague are classified as special management areas in which recreation is the main management purpose.

Forester Dan Frantík of the City of Prague comments: “We chose FSC certification mainly in order to enhance our relationship with stakeholders through a transparent and highly credible certification system. We believe that the award of the world’s most prestigious forest management certificate – an FSC certificate - will bring recognition for our efforts to use best practice forestry methods”.

Many stakeholders in the Czech Republic are deeply concerned about unsustainable forestry practices. Traditional Czech forestry relies on clearfelling systems and replacement of native forest with even-aged monoculture stands. This management system has resulted in forests in a poor health state and with little resilience.

Extensive forest dieback and other environmental problems occurring in the Czech Republic are now believed to be at least partly caused by poor forest management. In a 2006 joint statement, more than 280 Czech scientists link unsustainable forestry practices with problems such as ”forest dieback, decreased resistance to pests and weather extremes, increased frequency of disturbances, biodiversity loss, reduced water retention capacity, and soil erosion”.

Impact of certification
FSC certification provides a strong incentive for reverting these negative trends by adopting a responsible management approach, and is recognized by most stakeholders as a credible system. The latter is important in a situation where the forestry sector needs to restore its reputation among stakeholders.

Andrzej Czech, NEPCon lead auditor during the asssessment, notes: “Our team confirmed that the overall forest management conducted by the City of Prague is in compliance with the FSC standards, however High Conservation Value Forests and non-intervention areas still need to be more formally identified and mapped. We also recommended the City of Prague to build stakeholder relations and be more proactive, involving stakeholders in management decisions and explaining planned forest operations to the public”.

Michal Rezek, director of the Czech FSC Working Group and FSC endorsed National Initiative, comments: “I am very pleased that the City of Prague decided to be certified according to the principles of the Czech FSC Standard. This is a great example for other public forests in the Czech Republic”.

Historic hotspot
The certified area includes world famous historical sites such as the game reserve Hvězda, known for its hexagonal summer house built on the order of King Ferdinand 1st during the 16th century and for its dramatic history. The reserve was the scene of the 1620 White Mountain Battle, which marked the beginning of the European Thirty Year’s War. It was also used as campsite of French, German and Swedish armies several times through history. When the army of Ferdinand 2nd camped on the spot during the Seven Year War in 1757, the soldiers cut down almost the entire forest.

Since then, most of the forest has been restored and the game reserve remains home to well-preserved patches of deciduous forests as well as unique specimens of oaks and beeches 500-600 years old. Today, the Hvezda game reserve is visited by close to 600,000 people per year and is a favorite spot for exhibitions, concerts and sports events.

The attendance of some areas now approaches carrying capacity and exceeds the use of many parks. One important long-term management goal is to ahieve a more even distribution of visitors to the Prague forests, which could prevent erosion of the most popular sites by visitors.

_______________________________________________________________________________

BACKGROUND

The certification process
The FSC forest management assessment of the City of Prague’s forests was conducted during 27th – 29th November, 2006, following a pre-assessment carried out in July 2006. Both assessments took place according to the Czech FSC-endorsed standards. During the main FSC assessment, a broad public consultation took place.

The assessment team was composed of the following team members:
• Lead assessor Dr Andrzej Czech, PhD Biology from Poland
• Assessor Václava Hrubá, forester, Czech Republic

The registration code of the certificate is SW-FM/COC-002345.

Help us to maintain our credibility! Comments on the certification standards, the certification process and the management of the certified area are invited at any time. Please send your comments to Dr. Andrzej Czech at ac@nepcon.net.

The public forests of Prague

Approximately 30% of the forests are composed of deciduous tree species. The principal trend in the forest management is conversion of spruce and pine monocultures in a bad health state to mixed stands with a more natural species composition (oak, hornbeam, linden, beech). Planting of introduced species (red oak and grand fir) is limited to selected localities without conservation interests.

Despite the vicinity of a capital city, the forests still possess important biological values, including two EU protected Natura 2000 sites for birds. Almost 30 per cent of the forest area is protected by law in form of nature reserves and nature monuments. There are also protected landscape areas, protected forest on steeps slopes, slide rocks, peat bogs and slopes with low production potential and prevalent soil protection function.

The annual harvested volume is 6,600m3 per year, which is only one third of the average volume harvested in the Czech Republic. All wood is sold as standing stock to local companies.

The forest operation Mospromstroimaterialy-Vyatka OOO is undergoing FSC forest management and chain of custody certification assessment. The assessment will be performed by NEPCon in collaboration with the Rainforest Alliance. The operation is located in Kirov region, Russia. The forest management certification assessment is scheduled to be carried out in June 7-8, 2007. Read more  

The SmartWood Program of the Rainforest Alliance is conducting FSC forest management and chain of custody certification assessment of Mospromstroimaterialy-Vyatka OOO located in Kirov region, Russia. This assessment will be carried out by NEPCon - a regional partner and the official representative of the SmartWood Program in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and Russia. The forest management certification assessment is scheduled to be carried out in June 14-15, 2007. Read more ...

VERMONT, December 12

The SmartWood Program of the Rainforest Alliance has granted a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Forest Management Certification for a well managed forest to a private forest owner in Finland. This certification is the first in Finland under the globally recognised FSC scheme. Finland was also the final country in Northern Europe to at last achieve the goal of FSC certification.

VERMONT, December 12

The SmartWood Program of the Rainforest Alliance has granted a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Forest Management Certification for a well managed forest to a private forest owner in Finland. This certification is the first in Finland under the globally recognised FSC scheme. Finland was also the final country in Northern Europe to at last achieve the goal of FSC certification.

Forests are one of the most important resources in Finland, with the forestry sector accounting for just below 8 percent of the country’s GDP. As such, Finland has a well-structured system to provide operational forestry assistance including a national network of Forest Centres, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and Forest Management Associations (FMA). FMAs are groups of forest owners established to develop good forest management practices among their members. According to Finnish law, forest owners must belong to a FMA and pay a management fee unless exempted by specific criteria. Most forest properties have a written management plan produced by a regional Forest Centre or an FMA. In the summer of 2001, the FSC Draft Finnish Forest Certification Standards were released, and formed the basis for all future FSC assessments and audits of Finnish forest management operations until the final Standards become endorsed.

The SmartWood assessment of this private forest originally took place in late 2000, with later reviews of the assessment conducted in consideration of the newly released FSC Draft Finnish Standards. A team of professional foresters and biologists, using the SmartWood Generic Guidelines for Assessing Forest Management, carried out the assessment. The team inspected different stands, silvicultural sites, and special conservation zones, as well as potential future harvest sites.

“With these certifications, the opportunity is now real for SmartWood to deliver FSC certification in Finland”, said Charles Townsend, SmartWood’s European Regional Manager. “SmartWood continues to set the ‘gold standard’ for forest certification world-wide”, he continued, “and I am confident that many more Finnish forest owners will now want to pursue FSC certification”.

"Finland is a hugely important supplier of timber and paper to the UK," said Catherine Graham, Coordinator of the WWF 95+ Group. "WWF hopes other forest owners will follow suit and become FSC certified so that UK purchasers wanting to buy certified wood, guaranteed to be from well managed forests from Finland can do so."

“FSC certification has grown significantly in the Baltic States over the last year and it is good to see this wave extend into Finland at last” said Peter Feilberg of NEPCon, SmartWood’s NGO collaborator in Estonia.

The forests certified by SmartWood is located in the Länsi-Suomi County in the southern part of Finland. Dominating species are Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris), Norway Spruce (Picea abies) and Birch (Betula sp.).

The Estonian State Forest Management Centre has confirmed its commitment to FSC by choosing re-certification after going through the full 5-year period of its first validity. Read more

At least 65% of the paper used in printing the first 12 million copies of the next Harry Potter book will be FSC-certified. According to the Rainforest Alliance, the publishing company Scholastic has committed itself to using around 10 million kg FSC-certified paper for this purpose. Read more

During April 2 and 3, NEPCon will conduct PEFC assessment of the PEFC umbrella organization the Danish Forestry Extension, Amalievej 20, 1875 Frederiksberg C, Copenhagen in Denmark. The assessment concerns the ability of the umbrella organization to maintain a group certificate and to perform sampling control of operations included in a group scheme.

During April 2 and 3, NEPCon will conduct PEFC assessment of the PEFC umbrella organization the Danish Forestry Extension, Amalievej 20, 1875 Frederiksberg C, Copenhagen in Denmark. The assessment concerns the ability of the umbrella organization to maintain a group certificate and to perform sampling control of operations included in a group scheme.

NEPCon is conducting the evaluation in collaboration with BMG Trada Certifiering AB, which is accredited to perform PEFC certification.

The Danish Forestry Extension is an oranization offering professional assistance with respect to forestry, production of Christmas trees, game and nature management. DFE is a network of 8 local, independent forestry extension units, with a common secretariat in the House of Forests in Copenhagen. The Secretariat is responsible for the maintenance of the PEFC umbrella organization. The role of the umbrella organization is to organize and manage group certification of forest owners in accordance with the Danish PEFC system.
DFE has around 8,000 members with a total area of approximately 80,000 hectares. DFE’s umbrella organization will primarily be concerned with this group of forest owners.

As PEFC group certification is so far only a future service offered to interested forest owners by DFE, the assessment will cover system asesssment of the secretariat in Copenhagen and the DFE unit Fyn as well as field assessment of the forest areas of Fraugdegaard property.

The assessment will include field visit, review of relevant documents / management systems and interviews with the staff of the umbrella organization. I twill take place in accordance with the Danish PEFC certification standard, PEFC Denmark’s standards for certification of umbrella organizations as well as the Danish PEFC certification system for sustainable forest management (version 2). Prior to the field visit, stakeholder consultations will be conducted.

Contact
Flemming Sehested
Høje Lønholt 4A
DK - 3480 Fredensborg
Tlf: 23 66 42 48
Mail: fs@nepcon.net

Michael K. Jakobsen
NEPCon
Postboks 5102
8100 Århus C.
Tlf. 21 24 38 52
Mail: mkj@nepcon.net


PEFC certification
The Danish PEFC certification system is a system for certification of sustainable forest management. The system aims to document and support sustainable management of the forests.

In the Danish system, certification of forest management is based on the 6 Helsiki criteria, the Lisbon resolution and the Danish operational criteria for sustainable forest management.

Additional information about PEFC’s standards and the Danish certification system: www.pefc.dk

BMG-Trada Certifiering AB
BMG Trada Certifiering AB is a Swedish company that assists companies and organizations to improve a number of quality aspects and increase their competitiveness through certification. BMG Trada offers a number of certification services. In addition to the PEFC accreditation, BMG Trada maintains accreditations within ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and certification systems covering working environment and food. Additional information about BMG Trada may be found at: www.bmgtradacert.se.

During the period 16-17 April, the forests of Aarhus Municipality will be assessed according to the criteria of the Danish FSC and PEFC standards.

During the period 16-17 April, the forests of Aarhus Municipality will be assessed according to the criteria of the Danish FSC and PEFC standards.

In collaboration with the Rainforest Alliance (FSC) and BMG Trada Certifiering AB (PEFC), NEPCon will be resonsible for the assessments.

The Municipality of Aarhus manages a forest area of around 1800 hectares. The forests are close to the second largest city of Aarhus, Denmark. Around 90% of the forest area is covered by deciduous forest, dominated by beech.

The forests of Aarhus Municipality are highly important for the recreational life of the citizens of Aarhus, the plant and animal life of the Municipality, and protection of the Municipality’s drinking water. These aspects are important in the daily management of the forest areas. Selective felling is the preferred harvesting system, as this creates a more varied and stable forest environment.

Karpogoryles OOO is undergoing FSC forest management and chain of custody certification assessment. The assessment is performed by NEPCon in collaboration with the Rainforest Alliance. The operation is located in the Arkhangelsk region of Russia. The forest management certification assessment is scheduled to be carried out in April 16-19 2007. Read more

The SmartWood Program of the Rainforest Alliance is conducting FSC forest management and chain of custody group certification assessment of Dmitrievskiy LPH OAO and Titan ICE Ltd. located in Arkhangelsk region, Russia. This assessment will be carried out by NEPCon - a regional partner and the official representative of the SmartWood Program in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and Russia. The forest management group certification assessment is scheduled to be carried out in March 26-29, 2007. Read more ...

The SmartWood Program of the Rainforest Alliance is conducting FSC forest management and chain of custody certification assessment of Syamzhenskiy LPH OAO located in Vologda region, Russia. This assessment will be carried out by NEPCon - a regional partner and the official representative of the SmartWood Program in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and Russia. The forest management certification assessment is scheduled to be carried out in March 19-22, 2007. Read more ...

Get an overview of applicabe standards and a brief guidance according to company type. The update is relevant for all FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) certified companies, although most important changes are related to companies who are mixing FSC certified and non-certified material. Read more