The last decade saw dramatic concern for forest problems. The future decades will witness an even more dramatic interest. Certification of forests provides a guarantee to buyers of timber products that their purchases come from well-managed forests that will not support unsustainable or inequitable practices. This produces multiple advantages to those with stakes in the entire chain of production, not the least of which is justification of their pricing. The Forest Certification Handbook is the first book to fully assess the role of certification and provide practical advice on developing, selecting and operating a program.
The most critical role of certification is providing an incentive to forest owners and managers to raise the standard of their forest management. With international and national initiatives supporting specific principles for forest management and means of quality assessment taking place, The Forest Certification Handbook is the only published guide of its kind to eliminate any confusion. Here, in clear, exacting language, is all of the information you will need to complete a certification program.
Part 1 Certification in Context
Forest Problems
Market and policy failures within and outside the forestry sector
Institutional failures
Weak and/or inappropriate tenure
Competing Stakeholder Interests and the Goal of Sustainability
Competing stakeholder interests
The goal of sustainable forest management
Policy Requirements
National level
International level
Standards
External and internal standards
How standards are set by ISO
Existing initiatives in standard setting
Remaining dilemmas in standard-setting
Where Certification Fits
Certification: A market-based instrument
Forest needs and certification's possible role
Part 2 Certification in Practice
Design Issues
The importance on environmental management systems at the LFMU level
Accreditation
The certification body
How Certification Works in Practice
Selection of the appropriate forest area
Application
Scoping visit
Document review (examination)
Field assessment (examination/validation)
Peer review (validation)
Certification
Labelling (chain of custody)
Periodic review (surveillance)
Cost
Case studies
Part 3 Current initiatives and Views
Forest Initiatives and Certification
International initiatives
National initiatives
Initiatives which are commonly confused with certification
Views on Certification
Views of the main stockholder groups
Overall trends in the certification debate
The Sticky issues-differing views that need resolving
Part 4 Directories
Active Certification Programs
International and National Certification Initiatives
Certified Forest
Glossary
Index
Biography
Christopher Upton and Stephen Bass
"This is a clear and balanced overview of the key issues relating to timber certification. I strongly recommend it."
Chris Elliot, Senior Forests Officer,
WWF International