The PEFC story continues! In July we looked back at our early years, from our creation in 1999 up to our name change in 2003. Until this point, we had members from outside Europe, but none had achieved PEFC endorsement of their national forest certification systems. This meant only European forest owners were benefitting from PEFC certification. This all changed in 2004.

Just five years after PEFC was born as a certification system for European forest owners, we welcomed the first PEFC-certified forest area outside Europe, as Australia and Chile achieved PEFC endorsement. This marked our first big leap from a European to a global organization.

Since then, we have grown to become the world’s largest forest certification system, with PEFC-certified forest area in 37 countries, covering five continents. 

2004 to 2010: six years of growth 

By the end of 2004, there was more than 2 million hectares of PEFC-certified forest area in South America and Oceania. This was followed shortly by hectares in North America, as the Canadian CSA forest certification system and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) both achieved PEFC endorsement. This brought with it a big leap in PEFC-certified area, from 55 million to 187 million in one year.

2004 also saw an important step in Africa, as PAFC Gabon joined the PEFC alliance, becoming the first country to develop a national forest certification system in the continent. Since then, PAFC Gabon has been joined by PAFC Cameroon and PAFC Congo. Together, these members have united in developing a regional system – the first of its kind. The collaboration allows the three organizations to pool their resources and share knowledge, while running their systems independently at national level.

As the years passed and PEFC-certified forest area continued to grow in Europe, Oceania and the Americas, it became clear that we needed to look to Asia. In 2007, we launched the Asia Promotions Initiative, with two main objectives: enable PEFC sustainable forest management certification in the region and increase the recognition of PEFC and the growth of Chain of Custody certification.

In 2009, the Malaysian national forest certification system achieved endorsement, with over 4 million hectares of forest gaining PEFC certification within a year. Since then, our presence in the region has continued to expand. There are now nine national PEFC members in Asia, including China, India and Indonesia, with several other countries actively developing national systems in line with PEFC requirements. 

By the end of 2010, there was over 220 million hectares of PEFC-certified forest area worldwide, covering 27 countries and five continents. Between 2004 and 2010, the number of PEFC Chain of Custody certificates had than quadrupled, from around 1,900 in 16 countries to over 7,600 in 53 countries.

Stay tuned to learn about more milestones in PEFC’s history!

source: https://pefc.org/news/pefcs-story-from-europe-to-the-world

As the world’s most important ecosystem, forests play an important role in all this. PEFC forest certification ensures that forests are managed and used sustainably.

In my work, I’ve long been involved in sustainable forest management and forest certification. But I had little practical experience until I became a family forest owner a few years ago. My forest is a typical northern forest with various natural habitats, from an old spruce stand to recently planted seedlings, and from coniferous forest to bogland, as well as natural bodies of water – we’re in Finland, after all. My forest has much that is interesting and beautiful, but no actual conservation sites. I occasionally participate in forest management work, and I pick mushrooms in my forest in the autumn. Naturally, my forest is PEFC-certified.

PEFC stands for the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. Its purpose is to ensure ecologically, socially and economically sustainable forest management and use. Globally, more than 60% of all certified forest hectares are certified in accordance with the PEFC. The PEFC requires profitable and socially sustainable forestry to maintain forests’ biodiversity and cultural and recreational value.

The criteria, or forest certification requirements, are developed in cooperation with various stakeholders, such as forest owners, environmental organisations, forest industry operators, representatives of indigenous peoples, or others who can contribute with their respective expertise. Certificate holders’ operations are reviewed annually by a third party. Certification and the related PEFC logo ensure that the raw material for baking paper, for example, comes from a sustainably managed forest and that its origin is known.

PEFC forest certification sets stricter sustainability criteria for forest management than legislation, which determines the national minimum requirements. In Finland, the first Forest Act came into effect as early as 1886. Today, for example, the Forest Act still requires that the growth of a new generation of trees is ensured by planting new seedlings.  

The strengths of the PEFC include its consideration of local conditions. Forests and operating methods vary greatly between northern commercial forests, which resemble natural forests, and tree plantations in warm regions in the south, for example. However, the biodiversity maintenance goals are consistent. In the Nordic countries, during regeneration felling, groups of retention trees are left in the forest. In due time, these trees will die, topple and decay, becoming homes for insects and other organisms. In southern tree plantations, natural value is fostered by leaving green corridors between cultivation areas, for example. 

The PEFC focuses strongly on the forest sector’s social aspects. In the Nordic countries, these criteria concern labour rights, the monitoring of the chain of forest contractors and advice for forest owners. In Finland, the focus is also on increasing forest knowledge among young people – the professionals of the future. There are also regions where it’s important to consider the basic livelihood and living conditions of people who depend on forests.

Change often happens slowly in forests. However, the effects of the PEFC on forests, the forest sector and society as a whole can be assessed over the 20 years of its existence. Progress has been made. In Finland, certification has had a positive effect on the well-being and biodiversity of forests. Certification has also improved knowledge and skills, changed attitudes and facilitated the creation of established operating methods. An increase in the amount of decaying wood through retention trees has had a particularly strong effect on biodiversity. Appreciation of the ecological aspects of forests has increased among private forest owners, and many want to leave valuable sites in a natural state or manage them to increase their natural value.

Let’s return to my forest. Forest management work is being carried out there this year. A summer employee is clearing seedling stands, which means removing deciduous thickets from between spruce seedlings. On another site, a local forest service contractor is thinning a 40-year-old pine stand. This allows space for trees to grow and become sturdier. The pulpwood from the thinning is delivered to Metsä Group’s bioproduct mill in Äänekoski. Groups of retention trees are marked during thinning and will be left to grow during future felling. In line with the PEFC criteria, a protection zone is left by the lake to prevent nutrient runoffs into the water and to protect the landscape. The 100-year-old peatland forest will remain untouched to help conserve the bogland habitat. As a forest owner, I believe it’s very important to ensure a balance between natural value, recreational use and forest management.

Riikka Joukio
PEFC Council, Board member

Riikka has served as a member of the international PEFC Board of Directors since 2014. As a Board member, her strengths include providing industrial and northern perspectives. Riikka is in charge of Greaseproof Papers business at Metsä Tissue in Finland, and has held various managerial and other positions at Metsä Group. The sustainability of the forest industry has always been close to her heart. Riikka’s hobbies include exercise, handicrafts and gardening – in addition to occasional forest management work.

Twitter: @RiikkaJoukio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riikka-joukio-891227

source: https://pefc.org/news/pefc-global-forests-providing-a-sustainable-future-for-twenty-years

In this month’s chapter, the spotlight is on small- and family forest owners, the people who founded PEFC and implement our standards every day on the ground.

Millions of small- and family forest owners manage about 30% of the world's forest area. This makes them crucial partners in our work to achieve sustainable management of the world's forests.

Rather than only reporting about smallholders, we will give the word to them and hear their stories and thoughts about PEFC and sustainable forest management.

“PEFC is like a global handshake on sustainability”

Sven Erik Hammar is a smallholder in Sweden. In his video, he tells us about the meaning of PEFC for him and other smallholders, and takes us on a tour into his forest.

His forest covers 660 ha, half of which is productive forest land, the other half is marshland and mountain birch forest. The forest has been in his family for 200 years at its present site.

The PEFC certification of his forest is of special importance for Sven Erik. “I know that forest owners all over the world have the same benchmark. It’s like a global handshake on sustainability.”

Sven Erik mentions the study ‘European Family Forest Owners’ views on Forest Certification‘, a joint project of several organisations and associations representing forest owners in Europe.

“The study shows that PEFC as a system is best suited to include the smallholder perspective. In particular the possibility to balance social, environmental and ecological sustainability in one discussion.”

“Smallholders are a great resource,” he says. “We can provide the world with sustainably grown products from the forests. Our forests.”

source: https://pefc.org/news/we-give-the-word-to-smallholders-the-people-we-cannot-fail

Small- and family forest owners – the little guys – are important stewards of the world’s forests. From our very beginnings, we have had their needs at heart. 

All over the world, smallholders are managing their forests sustainably, yet certification remains out of their reach – simply because they don’t have the means to obtain it.

PEFC was founded by small- and family forest owners, and from early on, we were aware that the costs and procedures of forest certification can be a significant obstacle for them.

While we never compromised on sustainability – our requirements must be met by everyone, independent of size – we wanted PEFC certification to be attainable for all forest owners, including those with limited financial means.

The solution is group certification, a mechanism we established almost twenty years ago.  It allows smallholders to organize themselves in groups and pool their resources to achieve certification.

How does it work

Smallholders who wish to become certified don’t go through the certification process alone, but in a group with other smallholders within their region.

This lowers the administrative burden and allows them to share the cost involved in meeting and auditing against our requirements. In addition to reduced costs of certification for forest owners, group certification also enables additional benefits, such as peer-to-peer support, collaboration and sharing of knowledge and best practices.

Importantly, however, while group certification allows for small forest owners to collectively apply for certification, the requirements remain the same, and every forest owner must meet the requirements in order to achieve certification. This is verified through third-party audits, supplemented by a robustly designed internal auditing system. 

Why is this so important?

PEFC certification ensures that the management of forests is socially just, ecologically sound and economically viable. It enables smallholders to sell their timber as PEFC certified, helping them meet numerous public and private procurement policies and gain access to international markets.

Enabling smallholders to achieve PEFC certification is not only vital for them, but also for the world. 25% of the world’s forests are owned by families and communities, and the way those forests are managed can have an influence on the climate, biodiversity and health of our planet.

Latest developments – making the best even better

Although group certification has been highly successful, we continue to develop our Group Forest Management Certification benchmark standard, making the best even better.

Over more than two years, a working group revised the standard, which was approved by our General Assembly in November 2018. Key changes in the standard include improved requirements for internal auditing, such as risk based sampling groups and minimum sample size, as well as the strengthening of the groups’ management system.

By adjusting our requirements for the internal auditing process, we can be even more assured that all forest owners within a group are managing their forests in line with the PEFC requirements.

Our group certification approach has already enabled around one million small-forest owners to achieve PEFC certification, and the number continues to grow. This is a testimony to the fact that forest certification is possible for small landholders, and that it is a powerful and cost-effective way of promoting sustainable forest management.

source: https://pefc.org/news/making-forest-certification-work-for-everybody