Representing 40 percent growth since January 2008, the milestone has helped solidify FSC’s position as the fastest-growing forest certification system in the world (UN FAO, 2007). “The core driver of this growth is a shared commitment among landowners, manufacturers, retailers and consumers to conserve forest ecosystems and safeguard the rights of native peoples and local communities,” says Corey Brinkema, President of FSC US.

FSC certification allows responsible forest management practices to be valued in the marketplace – and the market is responding. In the past four years alone, the area of FSC certified forestland in the US and Canada nearly tripled. In the US, the number of certified
businesses in the supply chain has grown to more than 3’000, representing a five-fold increase since January 2005.“FSC’s growth among American businesses has a direct bearing on the protection of forests and forest-dependent communities in North America and throughout the world,” says Kerry Cesareo, Deputy Director, Forests Program of the WWF US. “FSC is the high bar in forest certification, because its standards protect forests of significant conservation value and consistently deliver meaningful improvements in forest management on the ground.”

In the Canadian Boreal forest alone, FSC certification has resulted in the protection of some 7.5 million acres (3 million hectares) of forestland previously intended for logging. FSC is the only forest certification system that ensures that the rights of Aboriginal Peoples and forest-dependent communities are respected.

Forestweb, Inc.