Version 09 -02 -2008 Forest Management Special Certification

Version: 09 -02 -2008 Forest Management Special Certification Models

Contents 1 Group Certification 2 SLIMF Certification 3 NTFP Certification 4 2

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Group Certification Multi-landowner/manager certificate • One certificate is issued to group entity • Sub certificates assigned to group members Greater Access to certification • Lower cost per member • Expandable certificate 4

Key Terms Group Manager: Applies for certification, holds certificate, responsible for FSC standards being followed by the group Group Members: Forest owners or clients whose FMU(s) are certified under the group certificate Certificate Scope: Defined Set of Certified Land covered by the group certificate 5

Some Key Assumptions… All group members shall conform to the FSC certification standards The Group Manager is responsible for ensuring compliance by all members 6

Group Certification Models CERTIFIED GROUP ENTITY Consulting Forester Forest Management Company Forest Products Company GROUP MEMBER Individual private landowner (working with Group Entity forester) Timberland investment company (working with Group Entity forester) Local government agency or board (working with Group Entity forester) 7

Group Certification Models CERTIFIED GROUP ENTITY Community Forest Association Cooperative Non-profit GROUP MEMBER Municipality Government owned land Uses own forestry staff Community forest Government-owned land Uses group entity forestry staff Private landowner Uses group entity forestry staff or consulting forester 8

Key management differnces Landowners’ or producers’ association or cooperative • All members use same management system • Membership maintains operational control • Membership ensures standards are followed Forest manager is certified • Manages properties under different ownerships • Must maintain management control of operations and ensure standards met Warning: If certifiable perfomance on ONE FMU fails, then ALL certified forests in the group could lose their certified status. 9

Group Certification Requirements 10

Additional Standards for Group Manager Group manager is “legal entity” Group manager has sufficient legal and management authority Qualified Staff Forest Management System Administrative Oversight Contact Person 11

Additional Standards for Group Certification Defined Pool of member FMUs Signed consent forms from participating members Disclosure of forests not included in the pool (partial certification policy) Documented Member Requirements Documented Member & Manager responsibilities Group Monitoring Procedures Record keeping of group management documents and activities 12

Group Assessment Process An addition to FM Certification Process • Scope (certified pool) • Sample size • Sample stratification • Performance levels within group • Internal monitoring by RM/Group • Assessing group function and stability 13

Assessment Sampling Less than 100 Members: 1/3 of properties must be visited by an auditor More than 100 Members: No Fixed percentage Assessment team must determine (and justify) the # of sites visited in report 14

Assessment and Audit Stratification Sampling levels must be based on a justified stratification: Geographic homogeneity (e. g. forest type) Management homogeneity (e. g. silvicultural systems, management systems, personnel involved in management) 15

Audit & Reassessment Sampling During annual surveillance audits & reassessments the number of FMUs visited must be at least half the number visited during the initial assessment. 16

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SLIMF S mall. . . (or) L ow I ntensity M anaged F orests 18

SLIMF - KEY FEATURES Certification is more accessible & affordable for smaller operations Streamlined Procedures Reduced Audit Intensity Less Cost 19

SLIMF classification International maximum threshold Small Forest Management Units Area < 1000 ha Low Intensity Forest Management Units Rate of harvesting: • less than 20% of the mean annual increment • less than 5000 cubic meters (or less than 5000 m 3 / year ) Groups of SLIMF All group members are either ‘small forests’ or ‘low intensity forest management units'. 20

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NTFP Non Timber Forest Products All forest products except timber, including other materials obtained from trees such as resin and leaves, as well as any other plant or animal products. FSC-STD-01 -002, FSC Glossary of terms, July 2004 22

NTFP - Evaluation When does management of NTFP need to be evaluated? ALWAYS Auditors must take into account the potential impacts of the harvesting or collection of NTFPs as part of the normal evaluation for compliance of FME with the applicable Forest Stewardship Standard……. 23

THANK YOU! 24