The forest stewardship council approves the certification of “new” forest areas, impacting all the forest industry

Responsible for the development of an independent international forest certification system, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved in its General Assembly the possibility, to apply for socio-environmental certification for forests, planted from 1994 on.
 
After 11 years of discussion, the decision taken on October 14th changed one of the main directives of the FSC system, which prevented the concession of certifications for forests planted in areas deforested after 1994, thus clearing the way for areas converted into planted areas between the years 1994 and 2022.
 
It is important to emphasize that the measure is not an incentive for deforestation, insofar as FSC has established strict parameters to be followed by the companies for the certification to be possible.
 
Today Brazil has over 10 million hectares of planted forests, of which 5 million are certified by the FSC.
 
The decision taken is a milestone for the forestry segment and for the sustainable development, attracting foreign investment and permitting companies of the sector currently in expansion to benefit from certifications.
 
To learn more about the key decisions that will shape the future of FSC and the forest management sector, visit FSC General Assembly 2022 website.