- Feature
He was a constructive voice in the sustainable forestry debate, while the concept of FSC was still bubbling in its primordial soup. Twenty years later, he remains strongly engaged in sustainable forest management, and a firm supporter of FSC. Meet Tim Synnott, the first FSC Executive…
- Editorial
Africa, home to the world’s second largest tropical forest – the Congo Basin – is a largely untouched potential for FSC. Participatory approaches and alignment with the EU FLEGT scheme may be part of the recipe for FSC's expansion in Africa.
- Feature
FSC's approach to plantations was on Friday's agenda at the FSC General Assembly. Members agreed that FSC needs more clarity on this point. Meanwhile, stakeholders outside of FSC voiced their opinions on this highly emotional topic as well.
- Editorial
Forestry expert Berty van Hensbergen takes a nuanced stance on FSC’s requirements for plantations including the infamous criterion on post-1994 conversion. Does the current rule lead to social injustice?
- Feature
- System updates
The much debated issue of Controlled Wood moved a step forward, when members voted for essential repairs and spare parts for the ailing Controlled Wood system; will these 'quick fixes' be enough to satisfy critical stakeholders?
- Feature
Transparency and stakeholder dialogue were in focus this year: on Friday, the members passed one motion and rejected another that aimed for enhanced transparency and stakeholder involvement.
- Feature
Members decided to move ahead with efforts to solve a long-standing issue on the consistent interpretation of the global Principles & Criteria at country level, when national standards are absent. And a decision to look into the bigger picture of large operations is hoped to…
- Feature
“All wood is valuable if it exists in abundance”, states Robert Simeone, President of Sylvania Forestry and founding member of FSC. We caught him in the midst of the busy goings-on of the FSC General Assembly to talk about the need for propagation of lesser known species.
- Feature
Social issues in the supply chain; adaptation to climate change; and small forest holdings: these are all topics that were either low on members’ radar or outright voted down yesterday.
- Feature
- System updates
Heated discussions on Controlled Wood have resulted in an amalgamation of three Controlled Wood motions into a “Controlled Wood package” to be voted on today.
- Editorial
Long-time supporter of FSC and a fierce advocate for community forestry operations, he understands the challenges for small and medium sized enterprises to access certification and make this a financially viable choice. Meet Jaime Levy, Executive Director of the Ecuadorian-based NGO…
- System updates
Over 400 people – one of the largest gatherings in FSC’s history – came together in the Ballroom of the Sutera Harbor Hotel in Kota Kinabalu to set the future directions for FSC, by voting on the motions that had made it through the vetting process of the previous week.
- Editorial
Home to the world’s first FSC-certified forest and FSC’s Secretariat Office, Latin America holds a special place in FSC’s history. Certification in the region has been reasonably successful in the private sector; however community operations have failed to reach the same level of…
- Feature
As FSC responds to changes in the political, environmental and economic landscape, new challenges and opportunities emerge that are transforming the system. These changes can be highly contentious for its members. We look at why some members remain engaged in FSC while others don’t…
- Feature
One of this year’s most conspicuous motions is Motion 4, which asks FSC to follow up on motions in a more transparent and reliable way. The Brazilian NGO Imaflora asks FSC to engage in stakeholder dialogue and regular reporting on the actions taken to implement the motions.
- Feature
- System updates
Yesterday was the first voting day at the 2011 FSC General Assembly. We present some of the key decisions made by FSC members, asking for changes that are set to change the directions of FSC or strengthen its core activities
- Market news
- Perspective
Traceability is perhaps the single most important issue within retail today, explains Kingfisher. As forest resources are depleted, timber supply resilience becomes a pressing issue. Knowing where the timber comes from is the first precondition for securing this.
- Editorial
"If I was in a rock band, FSC would have been my best selling single". He has been at the forefront of sustainable development for over 20 years. Above all of his contributions to the sustainability sphere, he still considers the development of FSC as his greatest contribution. Meet Dr…
- Editorial
FSC plans to take a huge stride towards enhanced integrity and elimination of fraud with this project. Credibility enhancement measures often involve new restrictions or procedures, which are generally not popular among the industry. But certificate holders are welcoming this…
- Editorial
Is the FSC system - including its quality control body ASI - ensuring sufficient focus on field performance? Jakob Ryding from Forests of the World - formerly known as Nepenthes - sets out to discover the answer.