Finland approves national FSC standard for sustainable forestry

HELSINKI, Oct. 8, 2010 (Press Release) - The forest industry considers it important that both of the widely accepted forestry standards, PEFC and FSC, can be used in our country.

"Certification demonstrates that forests are utilised sustainably; this is an issue that buyers of wood and paper products are more and more interested in, especially on the international markets. The FSC standard now being completed was drafted in close cooperation with environmental organisations and provides companies with an opportunity to supply products that have been produced of raw material which has been certified according to customer demands," says Anders Portin, who heads the Forests and Environment division of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation.

"Finnish companies have been certifying their overseas operations under both forest certification systems for quite some time. The FSC standard now being introduced in Finland will facilitate the marketing of products, which are made out of Finnish FSC-certified raw materials. It is also very important for the utilisation of domestic wood raw material, which is produced in small forest holdings, that we will have a comprehensive solution that is backed both by the forest industry and by environmental organisations," Portin says.

Now that the proposed standard has received the blessing of the Finnish FSC Association, it will be submitted to the international FSC organisation for inspection and approval.

Forest certification is used to demonstrate that forests are managed sustainably, a concern that is receiving more and more attention from the users of wood and paper products. Over 95% of Finland's commercial forests have been certified. The PEFC standard is the predominant system in our country. Less than 10% of the world's forests are certified.