Timber Risk Score: 100 / 100 in 2017. The Timber Legality Risk Assessment contains an evaluation of the risk of illegality in Switzerland for five categories and 21 sub-categories of law. We found:
- Specified risk for 0 sub-categories.
- Low risk for 16 sub-categories.
- No legal requirements for 5 sub-categories.
This page provides an overview of the legality risks related to timber produced in Switzerland.
31.6% (1.25 million ha) of Switzerland is covered by forests of which:
- About 3% is primary forest
- About 83% is naturally-regenerated forest
- About 14% is planted forest.
Roundwood production totalled 4.2 million m3 in 2015. The forestry sector (including wood processing and pulp and paper) contributed US$ 5.2 billion to the economy in 2011, which was nearly 0.8% of the GDP.
NEPCon has evaluated Switzerland as low risk for illegally harvested timber. If you are sourcing timber from Switzerland you should still take care to ensure that risks are not present in your supply chains.
This risk assessment was prepared between 2014-2018 according to the FSC-STD-40-005. The approved FSC Risk Assessment can be downloaded in the FSC Document Centre. ONLY Risk Assessments that have been formally reviewed and approved by FSC can be used by an FSC candidate or certified companies in risk assessments and will meet the FSC standards without further verification.
Score: 84 / 100 in 2021
Rank: 7 out of 180 countries in 2021
There are currently no armed conflicts in Switzerland according to the Council on Foreign Relations' Global Conflict Tracker
FSC Certified Forest Area: 580,776 hectares (4 December 2019)
PEFC Certified Forest Area: 240,386 hectares (31 December 2019).
Information gathering
- Find out the different sources of legal timber
- Determine which source type your timber comes from
Timber source | Description of source type |
---|---|
Production forest |
Timber from production forests. A Forest Management Plan and/or sustainable harvest plan are required. This is the main source of timber in Switzerland. |
Production forest with protection function |
Timber from production forests with protection functions. A Forest Management Plan and/or sustainable harvest plan are required. |
Reserves | Timber from protected areas. Harvesting of timber is allowed in some protected areas to help meet protection aims (such as biodiversity). A Forest Management Plan and/or sustainable harvest plan are required. This is a limited source of timber. |
Risk Assessment
Low risk of illegality. We found that any breaches of applicable laws are temporary, unusual, limited in their impact, and effectively controlled by the relevant authorities.
Risk mitigation
We have not identified any specified risks and therefore have not suggested any mitigation actions.