The international Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has finally approved Finland’s new FSC standard which can be adopted after a three-month transition period.
According to the Finnish Forest Industries Federation, agreement came after lengthy negotiations between FSC Finland and various stakeholder groups.
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 and verify that it corresponds with the Finnish-language version.
The PEFC certification scheme has been the predominant forest certification system in Finland. Now that the FSC system has been adjusted to Finnish conditions, it is said to provide a workable alternative for forest certification and the verification of sustainability.
The redrafted standard also takes better consideration of private forest owners.
