Group Certification

A group of small wood producers can work together and opt for a group certification. The advantage of group certification is that the cost of certification is significantly reduced for the individual participant. Similarly, the marketing of the merged relatively small production flow easier.

A group is a formal or informal co-op of small wood producers. They designate a person or organization who will organize  and supervise the certification process and officially  maintain contact with  contacts with the certifier. It is also possible to appoint a certified resource manager.

PDF- SKAL standard for group certification (see section 4).

FSC International is working on  establishing the criteria for Small and Low Intensity Managed Forests (SLIMF). A small managed forest is smaller than 100 ha, a low intensity forest is a forest where less than 20% of the annual increment and less than 5000 m3 of timber is harvested. The guidelines are currently in a test phase (see FSC website).

Forest Stewardship Council (international)