Certifying Forest Management Practices
Canadian forest managers can certify their forest management practices to any of three internationally recognized certification programs:
- Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
Note: This standard is withdrawn. A new sustainable forest management standard will be published by PEFC Canada. CSA:Z809 is available on a time-limited interim basis to support certification continuity until PEFC Canada publishes their standard. For enquiries, please contact PEFC Canada at info@pefccanada.org.
- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
These standards are applied voluntarily and involve significant commitments towards environmental, social and economic sustainability. They are applied on top of mandatory requirements that make up the comprehensive legal framework under which Canadian forests are managed.
Each of these standards is endorsed as following international principles, criteria and objectives that are viewed as the basis of sustainable forest management:
- CSA and SFI are endorsed by the global Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)
- FSC regional standards in Canada are accredited by FSC International
Certifying an Environmental Management System
Canadian forest managers can also certify the environmental management system they use to systematically set and achieve environmental goals, then improve upon them. The voluntary, internally recognized standard is used for this is ISO 14001