Wednesday 19th December 2018
FSC – Forest Stewardship Council
The FSC is a non-profit organization established in 1993 that sets high standards to promote responsible management of the world's forests, ensuring that it is practised in an environmentally responsible and socially beneficial manner. The members of FSC are include some of the leading and well well-know groups supporting Green Planet such as WWF or Greenpeace (Finland, USA, Canada, China, New Zealand Offices), social organizations (the National Aboriginal Forestry Association of Canada), businesses (Tetra Pak and Mondi PLC) or forests owners and managers.
When the product is labelled as FSC certified it means that the wood used in the production process (to make tropical hardwood furniture, toilet paper or hand towel) met the requirements of the Forest Stewardship Council.
In this way, FSC certification helps forests remain thriving environments for generations to come, by helping you make ethical and responsible choices at your local supermarket, bookstore, a furniture retailer, and many more.
Managed forest land provides a whole host of ongoing eco-system benefits including clean water, healthy soil, climate mitigation, aesthetic landscapes and recreational pleasures to communities.
There is an increasing demand by nations for forests to be managed in a sustainable way rather than this land to be used just for housing or industrial development. In the USA the government recognises this problem and now offers financial incentives for landowners to manage their forests in a more sustainable way.
In Canada, the government takes a science-based attitude towards decision making when assessing its policies and regulations in sustainable forest management in the planning process.
Norway in 2005 updated its Forest Act to promote sustainable forest management. Their aim was to balance economic development at both national and local level with ecological concerns of securing bio-diversity. With a strong emphasis on the cultural value of forests and outdoor recreation placed in the Forest Act. Most Nordic countries have signed resolutions for Europe’s forest management programme as well as ratifying the Rio Convention on biological diversity and the climate.
Most nations have different policies but all are aware of the dangers and impact of bad forest management has on our environment. Hence policy-making and management of Forests will vary from country to country depending on social, economic, environmental and climate issues. Trees are felled for various reasons whether for construction or to produce pulp for paper products. These disturbances create both temporary and long-term environmental impact within forest habitat dependent on how this is managed; each country needs to access its own unique problems. The impacts on native flora and fauna can affect animals natural habitat and biodiversity this, in turn, affects water quality and soil fertility. But through sustainable forest management, we are able to care for the forest and maintain the social, economic values and more importantly environmental impact over time.