What is Certification?

Forest Certification is an independent third-party assessment of forest management against given standards, criteria and indicator, which then allows the use of an ecolabel for the timber that originates from such certified forest. Forest certification is a
response to an international consensus that sustainable forest management is of great significance. Various certification schemes set up different standards defining the
environmental, economical and social thresholds. Applying those on the operational forest management level (by a certification body), they assess and approve a sustainable forest use. The standards address e.g. management planning, harvesting, conservation of biodiversity, pest and disease management, and social impacts of the forestry operations.

To guarantee to customers that the certified goods they buy are genuinely the products of a well-managed forest, a Chain of Custody Certification is required. The Chain of Custody comprises all organisations involved in changes of the ownership of the certified timber from the forest to the end user. It requires that certified products are identified, segregated and accompanied by appropriate documentation at all stages. A certified company must prove that it does have an effective control system to track down its raw material through processing, transformation and distribution, to its certified source.