Cost and Duration of Certification

It takes several weeks to 3 months before the entire process of certification of the commercial chain has taken place. This is considerably shorter than the assessment of forest management.

There is little  data on the cost of certification of the commercial chain. The Forest Management Trust in the USA gives the following figures for the direct costs:

• main inspection CoC: U.S. $ 500 - 3000 per company
• annual check CoC: U.S. $ 500 - 2500 per year per company
• renewed CoC application (after 5 years): U.S. $ 500-2500 per company

The direct cost is the price that the certifying institution asks for the checks. The indirect costs, consisting of any improvements which need to be implemented, are very dependent on the situation.ie.