Pan European Forest Certificate

The Pan European Forest Certificate Council (PEFC) was founded in Europe in 1999 by representatives of forest owners and the forest industry.

The PEFC is an umbrella organization and provides a framework within which national and regional forest certification schemes can be developed and may be recognized. The PEFC council, residing in Luxembourg, has established guidelines for the development of certification systems. PEFC National Governing Bodies develop national systems and present these to the council for approval.

The PEFC is based on 6 European criteria for sustainable forest management as set in Pan European Operational Level Guidelines (PEOLG).

  1. preservation and where possible extension of forest resources and their contribution to carbon cycles
  2. maintaining healthy and vital forest ecosystems
  3. preservation and encouragement of productive functions of forests (wood and non-wood)
  4. preserving, protecting and where possible increasing of the biodiversity of forest ecosystems
  5. maintaining  and where possible enhancing protective functions of forest management (notably soil and water)
  6. preservation of other socio-economic functions and conditions


Other international and regional guidelines for sustainable forest management may also be the basis for the development of PEFC schemes. Examples are the Montreal guidelines, Tarapoto Proposal and ITTO. Currently there are 27 National Governing Bodies who are members of the PEFC, 13 national schemes have been recognized internationally. Over one hundred million hectares of European forest with these systems are certified. Wood from these forests bear the PEFC logo.

An independent competent certification institute monitors and assesses forest management and chain of custody. If compliance with the standards of the certification system is met, a PEFC certificate is issued and the PEFC logo provided.

Especially the European non-industrial forest owners  support this system, because FSC is often difficult to apply for them.


Reports and standards can be found on the website of PEFC

Pan European Forest Certificate Council