PEFC certification in Estonia
Estonian Forest Certification Council
The Estonian Forest Certification Council (EMSN) was set up as a non-profit organization on the 29th of October 2001 on the initiative of private forest owners and with the participation of other interest groups and stakeholders. The overall objective of the Estonian forest certification scheme is to support the implementation of sustainable forestry in Estonia. Sustainable forestry implies three main elements: ecological balanced, respect towards cultural and social values and economical efficiency. The implementation of the scheme must follow the PEFC International standards in forest management and chain-of-custody and has to ensure that wood signed with the PEFC logo won’t mix with wood from uncertified resources. The origin of the wood has to be clear at any stage of production.
Plans and new ideas for the year 2009
EMSN started a forest certification pilotproject in cooperation with the Estonian Private Forest Union and the Private Forest Center. The aim of the pilotproject is to support the forest owners in the process of receiving the certificate and to open up possibilities in the future.
Next to this the agenda for 2009 will focus on cooperation with national and international partners in several conferences, information seminars and on trainings for forest owners, people interested in forestry and the chain of custody. In course of the next year, EMSN plans to finish a small handbook for certification and a follow-up study to the first study.
EMSN is actively participating in the discussions and developments on PEFC International level and represents Estonian opinions.
What is forest certification?
Forest certification is a procedure, where an independent institution ensures, that forest management or wood processing follows the rules agreed a priori by several stakeholders taking into account national laws. The rules are collected in criteria in the national standard.
Why is forest certification necessary?
The overall goal of forest certification is nature friendly, socially acceptable and economically efficient forest management and wood processing.
From the Estonian point view, certification can be reasoned with the following:
1. Promoting sustainable forestry and the application of the principles in the wood industry
2. Support the good reputation of the Estonian forest sector as a whole at an international level
3. Promote the marketing of the wood products and support the market for products from Estonian forests and the Estonian chain-of-custody
4. Fulfill the customers expectations
Why do forest owner participate in forest certification?
Certification offers the possibility to show that
– The forest owner cares about his forest and manages it sustainably. The forest owners owns the internationally accepted certificate as proof
– The forest owner/manager does not support illegal actions, which support the destruction of forests as lively ecosystem and no illegal deforestation is happening
– The certified forest owner fights against illegal cuttings and ensures, that the natural environment won’t be damaged
– Participation in certification opens up the possibility to influence the standards. The compilation of the standards is a public process, where all interested stakeholders can participate.
As sustainability is currently a hot topic in the public discussion, forests receive special attention. Forests can serve as CO2 sink and are source for bioenergy. The EU influences forestry with its recommendations and directives as GPP(=Green Public Procurement) and FLEGT(=Forest Law Enforcement and Trade) on EU and global level. Existing standards are often used to compile EU standards, as for example the PEFC International standard. In the times of economical crisis customers might prioritize certified wood, as they can sell it easier.
The information on certification has to be forwarded in any stage of processing, to ensure that it reaches out to the final customer. This means, that chain of custody needs to be certified and commit itself to the PEFC principles. The application of the PEFC logo to the chain of custody and the certification of the chain of custody are in this perspective important elements of the PEFC certification system. Choosing products with logo ensures that the customer purchases products from sustainable management.
Who can apply for certification?
All forest owners, which manage their forests sustainable. All wood working industries, which manage to pursue the origin of their wood resources. More information and application: Mart Kelk: mart.kelk@mail.ee
