control of sustainability

Forest management should respect all relevant laws of the country as well as international treaties and agreements to which the country has signed and meet the principles and criteria of the FSC®.

Long-term ownership claims and rights of use to land and forest resources should be clearly defined, documented and legally anchored.

The legal and customary rights of indigenous peoples to own, use and manage land, territories and resources are to be recognized and respected.

Forest management aims to maintain or increase the long-term social and economic well-being of forest workers and the local population.

Forest management promotes the efficient use of the diverse products and services of the forest so that it becomes economically viable in the long term and can ensure a wide range of environmental and social benefits.

Forest management aims to conserve biological diversity and associated values, water resources, soils and unique and fragile ecosystems and landscapes, thereby ensuring the ecological functions and integrity of the forest.

A plan that is appropriate for the size of the business and the management intensity of the forest enterprise is to be drawn up, applied and updated. It clearly describes the long-term management goals and the means to achieve them.

Documentation and evaluation appropriate to the farm structure should determine the condition of the forest, the yields of the harvested forest products, the trade and processing chain, the management measures and their social and ecological effects.

Management measures in forests with a high conservation value aim to preserve or increase their characteristics. Decisions concerning these forests should always be considered as a precautionary approach.

Plantations are to be managed in accordance with Principles 1 through 9, Principle 10 and its criteria. While plantations can provide a range of social and economic benefits and help meet global demand for forest products, they are intended to complement natural forest management, reduce pressure on it, and promote its restoration and conservation.