Finnish FSC standard approved

FINLAND, Jan 25, 2011 - The international Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) granted its unqualified approval to Finland’s redrafted FSC standard on 21st January 2011. The new FSC standard can be adopted once a three-month transitional period has passed.

Common ground on Finland’s national FSC standard was attained after lengthy negotiations between the three chambers of FSC Finland and various stakeholder groups. The meeting of the Finnish FSC Association approved the standard in November 2010.

International FSC practice stipulates that the now-approved English-language standard is the official version on which practical interpretations will be based. A Finnish FSC standard working group will inspect the approved English-language version to verify its correspondence with the Finnish-language version during the three-month transitional period before Finnish documentation is disseminated in the field to guide the practical work.

FSC readiness a good addition to PEFC certification

The PEFC certification scheme, which is the most widely utilised system internationally, is the predominant forest certification system in Finland. The now-approved FSC system has been adjusted to Finnish conditions and provides a workable alternative for forest certification and the verification of sustainability. The redrafted standard also takes better consideration of private forest owners. Earlier, the opaque content of the standard prevented the widespread adoption of the FSC system.

Recognition of forest certification systems varies in different market areas. From the perspective of the Finnish forest industry, it is good that the readiness to apply both systems is now in place in Finland.

Forest certification extends to over 95% of Finland's commercially utilised forests, while less than 10% of the world’s forests are certified.