Title:

Forest certification audit results as potential changes in forest management in Canada
 

Authors:

Megan Masters, Anna Tikina and Bruce Larson
 

Abstract:

NB

An analysis of CSA, FSC, and SFI audit conditions was conducted identifying areas requiring operational changes to obtain certification. Audit reports for each standard differed in both number and focus of requirements. The FSC audits required more changes in environmental, social and economic themes, while CSA and SFI audit reports emphasized changes in management systems and aquatic ecosystems management. Although not a guarantee of changes in operations and management, the audit conditions point towards areas where forest certification can potentially have impacts on forest management.

2010. Forestry Chronicle, 86(4): 455-460.

The results from the study do NOT provide conclusions about changes on the ground. The title of our article focuses on the potential changes that were investigated. The absence of a guarantee of changes in operations and management is clearly pointed out in the abstract and on p. 459: "It is impossible to conclude that every area of improvement has the same probability of introducing change, but each definitely presents a potential for change."

Not all audit conditions are implemented, and therefore a prescription arising from an audit cannot automatically be considered a change on the ground. As one of our concluding statements points out: "If implemented, the audit conditions indicate areas where forest certification can improve forest management in Canada". This again clearly depicts the absence of a direct translation of audit conditions into changes on the ground.

We specifically warn against comparing the stringency of the standards based on the number of audit conditions: "it is not possible to make conclusions on the stringency of the standard based on how many or how few conditions were found in audit reports." (p. 459). We also point out that it is currently impossible to evaluate the quantity vs. quality of the audit prescriptions. 

We also caution the readers about the inappropriateness to substitute the detail of an audit report with the detail of protected values. The number of requirements within a standard cannot be substituted for the representation of values, either.

Title:

Forest certification: are we there yet?
 

Authors:

Anna V. Tikina
 

Abstract:

The paper reviews the intent and achievements of forest certification and identifies its current
issues and limitations. A brief summary of major certification standards (FSC, PEFC, SFI, CSA and ISO 14001) precedes a detailed discussion of the progress of forest certification by each of its objectives, such as improving forest practices and livelihoods of local and indigenous peoples, bringing price premiums and assuring market access, conserving biodiversity and stopping illegal
logging. The paper concludes that, although progress has been made in market access and changing forest practices, especially in North America and Europe, forest certification has so far failed to resolve several major issues such as preventing tropical deforestation or improving livelihoods of indigenous peoples. Changes in consumer behaviour and wider adoption of forest certification in less-regulated regions are yet to be seen.

2008. CABI Reviews: Perspectives in Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Nutrition and Natural Resources. 3(18): 8 pp.

Title:

Matching legal and regulatory requirements and forest certification requirements in Canada

 

Authors:

Anna Tikina, Megan Masters and Bruce Larson
 

Abstract:

Forest certification is believed improve forest management practices beyond legal compliance. To investigate potential areas of change, a comparison between existing legal requirements and forest certification requirements has been carried out. Mandatory requirements of certification standards were analyzed (CSA, SFI, and the international requirements of FSC standards) against the provincial and territorial laws and regulations. This paper presents a summary of the comparison and does not discuss the details for each province or territory. However, the study outlined the areas where forest certification has a potential of augmenting governmental requirements in Canada and carrying the forest management beyond legal compliance.
 

Title:

Private cost-benefits of voluntary forest product certification
 

Authors:

Juan Chen, John Innes and Anna Tikina

Abstract:

Forest certification is intended to be a market-based incentive to promote the sustainability of forest lands and forest management. However, undertaking a certification can be a costly exercise, and the economic benefits may not be immediately clear. The three most important market benefits are potentially market access, improved public image and price premiums. Although forest certification has achieved major progress by enabling certified forest products to penetrate some environmentally sensitive market niches and by maintaining and enhancing the public image of forestry companies, the price premium has proved difficult to realize, especially for commodity products such as pulp and structural lumber. When considering the actual purchasing behaviour of consumers, there is little evidence to verify that the expressed willingness to
pay a price premium will materialize in the market place. Considerable uncertainty exists as to why this might be the case, and the presence of too high a premium could drive consumers towards cheaper products derived from unsustainable (or illegal) forestry activities.

2010. International Forestry Review, 12(1): 1-12.