Certification of Forest Products

As public awareness of the problem of deforestation has grown, a variety of consumer-based approaches to addressing the issue have emerged. One of the most innovative of those is forest product certification. Products derived from forests that have been managed and harvested in a sustainable manner are certified as such, thus providing consumers with a direct means of addressing deforestation and creating a positive incentive for improving forest management practices around the world.

This volume presents an overview of the mechanics, background, and implications of voluntary certification programs. It features perspectives from all parties involved, from both southern and northern hemispheres, including the forest products industry, indigenous communities, academics, biologists, certifiers, policymakers, environmental activists, and retailers.

Among the topics considered are:

• the development of market-based conservation initiatives
• elements involved in certification
• biological aspects of forest auditing
• implications of forest product certification
• importance of cooperation among all parties involved

The book traces the history of certification, the development of an internationally agreed upon set of forest management principles, and the various certification programs currently underway. In addition to providing the most current information on the certification process itself, it includes a valuable discussion and analysis of the social and political context in which certification must function.

Certification of Forest Products brings clarity to a highly debated and poorly understood topic, and is an important work for anyone concerned with deforestation and the methods available for addressing it.