Dear reader!

As this newsletter shows, there are ups and downs on the forest certification front. But one trend seems unchanging: The area of certified forest keeps growing. Just a few examples from our part of the world: This summer the Danish state forests became FSC and PEFC certified, and the Republic of Georgia is more than likely to see its first FSC certified forests soon. You can explore these and other certification trends below. Enjoy your reading!

 Anne-Sofie Forfang

The entire Danish state forests have been certified according to the national criteria of both the FSC and the PEFC system. The certificates testify to the state forests' commitment to responsible forestry.  Read more

The Georgian Ministry of Environment is committing itsef to FSC.  New long-term leasing contracts for Georgian state forests  include the obligation to have the concession area FSC certified. Read more

Two Polish state forests have regained their FSC certificates from the Rainforest Alliance, while another has lost its certificate issued by the certifier SGS. Read more

A traditional Bulgarian product, Borina firelightes, are now available as FSC certified. Made from pure pine, they hold several advantages over kerosene products. Read more

A group of state forest enterprises has lost its FSC certificate covering more than 500,000 hectares in Belarus. The Rainforest Alliance decided to suspend it due to non-compliances with the FSC requirements. Read more

A bizarre situation involving two competing certification systems remains at a crossroads, despite attempts to resolve it. Read more

If you want to check up on the status of your FSC-certified trade partners, an essential tool is available at WWW.FSC-INFO.ORG. The site now includes a fully updated search function. Read more

The FSC is currently revising its governance structure. Among the issues reviewed are the overall governance, FSC's quality and monitoring systems as well as financing mechanisms. The process is expected to be finalized in late 2008.

Wondering how to spend your time this fall? You can still sign up for one of NEPCon's next FSC auditor training courses held in September through November. Read more

A seminar on FSC and PEFC chain of custody certification as well as other documentation forms wil take place on 22 October in Copenhagen. Read more

NEPCon is organizing a workshop in St. Petersburg, Russia, on the 10th of October. A recent study on illegal logging in Russia will be discussed. Read more

The FSC has adopted a new standard that allows the certification of facilities in several countries. Read more

Last chance to present your comments about the next generation of the FSC chain of custody standard 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 Kirov region. Though small in size, the operation aims high when it comes to corporate responsibility. Read more

Following several scandals, in which controversial tropical timber was used for the construction of public buildings, the Norwegian government has lost all trust in tropical timber - certified or not. Norwegian NGOs are divided over the issue.  Read more

...that the entire range of tropical wood products sold by the German DIY chain Hornbach is FSC-certified? The company refuses to sell any tropical wood items which do not carry the FSC-label, and currently offers around 800 FSC-certified products from its many stores in Germany.