The certifications of sustainable forest management

Created following the Summit in Rio in 1992, certification of forest management has the objective of guarantee consumers that the products in wood have been produced from wood harvested in forests whose longevity is ensured.

It is the question of proving that a company’s forestry activity answers a certain number of strict requirements of sustainable management.  The following points will be subject to thorough assessment :
- does the forest management plan (a) guarantee forest regeneration? 
- is biodiversity respected?
- does the forest exploitation provide local populations with substantial benefits?

Main certifications

Several referential propose Principles and Criteria of sustainable forest management. FSC and PEFC are the best known and recognized.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), created in 1993 under the impetus of ENGOS (such as the WWF, Greenpeace...) is rather intended to trade of timber from forests threatened by deforestation, the FSC today concerns about 50 million hectares in the world.

At present in the Congo Basin, FSC only is represented on approximately 4, 200 000 ha. 

Seven companies members of Africa Wood for Lifehave acquired the demanding label.  A certificate is valid 5 years and a verification assessment is carried out every year in order to confirm that the company respects Principles and Criteria.