Organizations Certifying Forests & Small Woodlands

Forest Certification is a process whereby your forest or small woodland property is "certified" as meeting specific requirements as determined by the certifying body. Over the years several systems of certification have been developed, each with their own approach to defining standards for sustainable forest management.

While all certifying organizations strive toward ensuring sustainable forest managment is maintained, each has different standards, obligations, benefits and costs associated with it. If you are interested in becoming certified, it is important to weigh these different factors to find the certification program most suited to your propery and your goals for it.

American Tree Farm System

The American Tree Farm System is a program for small, private, non-industrial landowners (family forest landowners). ATFS certifies contiguous parcels from 10 - 20,000 acres and was endorsed by PEFC in August of 2008. [short overview]

American Tree Farm System
1111 19th Street, NW, Suite 780
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 463-2462
Fax: (202) 463-2461
www.treefarmsystem.org

Forest Stewardship Council

The Forest Stewardship Council is an international system covering forest management practices and the tracking and labeling of certified products and paper products with recycled content. [short overview]

Forest Stewardship Council United States
1155 30th Street NW Suite 300
Washington D.C. 20007
Phone: (202) 342 0413 or (877) 372-5646
Fax: (202) 342 6589
www.fsc.org

Sustainable Forestry Initiative Program

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® Program is a sustainable forest management standard targeting large industrial operations in Canada and the United States. [short overview]

SFI Inc. Head Office
900 17th Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (202) 596-3450
Fax: (202) 596-3451
www.sfiprogram.org

Acceptance of Certification Standards

The Oregon Department of Forestry, and State Forester Marvin Brown, is making a case to both FSC and SFI that the rules, policies, standards and guidelines written in Oregon Statute and Administrative Rules covering forest operations should qualify Oregon timberland owners for certification by any scheme.

Meantime, not all organizations accept all certification systems.

US Green Building Council

The U.S. Green Building Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings available to everyone within a generation. They developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) internationally recognized green building certification system, which provides third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using accepted "green" strategies.

LEED currently recognizes only wood certified by FSC as meeting the standards for their green building requirements. In November 2009, they will be meeting with other certifying agencies to review standards and guidelines and investigate endorsing certifications other than FSC.

U.S. Green Building Council
2101 L Street, NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20037
www.usgbc.org

Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes

The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes is a mutual recognition framework for national forest certification standards. [short overview]

PEFC has recognized and endorsed SFI standards and guidelines as meeting their requirements since 2005. PEFC has recognized and endorsed The American Tree Farm System as meeting their certification requirements since January 2009.

PEFC Council Asbl
17, Rue des Girondins
L-1626 Hollerich
Luxembourg
Phone: +352 26 25 90 59
Fax: +352 26 25 92 58 www.pefc.org

Additional Information

The Forest Certification Resource Center maintains a database of certification systems. Their Introduction to Certification Programs gives summary information about each certification system and links to further information about each one.

If you know of any resources that should be added to this page, please email webmaster@cooscurrysmallwoodlands.org