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| The standards of the Finnish Forest Certification System (FFCS) have just finished their first revision. Revisions of the standards, which take place every five years, facilitate the continuous improvement that FFCS has committed itself to.
This, the first-ever revision of the FFCS standards, was based on practical experience, latest research, stakeholder feedback and information acquired on international environmental and forestry processes.
The basic structure, principles and core requirements of the system remain unchanged. One of the main goals of the review was to further clarify and develop the criteria and indicators that are used for measuring good forest management. Auditing of the system becomes more unambiguous with the more precisely defined indicators and responsibilities.
The forest management standards include three new criteria. These include that gene manipulated plant propagation material shall not be used in seeding/planting, and that knowledge about forests is increased among children and adolescents, and, in addition, a separate reference has been included to clarify that FFCS respects all legislative requirements related to forestry and the environment. Some criteria have been combined and some have been removed because their requirements are already covered by legislation/other instructions for forestry. This reduces the total number of criteria from 37 to 28.
Also, the Chain of Custody Standards have been reviewed. With the revised standards the origin of certified wood can be verified in the forest industry's wood procurement, and in the further processing and marketing chains of wood and paper products.
Preparatory work for internal and external auditing purposes of the revised standards will start in summer 2004 after which the revised standards will be implemented. The new criteria will also require the approval of the PEFC Council. This will be applied for as soon as possible.
The newly approved documentation is on the FFCS website at http://www.ffcs-finland.org/.
Annex 1. Revised Standards of the Finnish Forest Certification System
Annex 2. Members of the Working Group on Forest Certification Standards in 2002-2003
Contact information
Dr Jari Parviainen, Chairman of the Finnish Forest Certification Council. Phone +358 10 211 3010, mobile +358 50 391 3010, e-mail: jari.parviainen@metla.fi
Dr. Liisa Saarenmaa, Chairperson of the Working Group on Forest Certification Standards. Phone +358 9 16053353, email: liisa.saarenmaa@mmm.fi
Auvo Kaivola, Secretary General, Finnish Forest Certification Council.
Phone +358 9 29041426, mobile +358 400 765437, e-mail: auvo.kaivola@ffcs-finland.org
Pekka Kallio-Mannila, Chairman of the Working Group on the Verification of the Chain of Custody Standards. Phone +358 9 132 6624, mobile +358 40 569 6624, e-mail: pekka.kallio-mannila@forestindustries.fi
Timo Nyrhinen, Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK), member of the Working Group on Forest Certification Standards. Phone +358 20 413 2488, email: timo.nyrhinen@mtk.fi
Timo Hannula, Reindeer Herders' Association, member of the Working Group on Forest Certification Standards. Phone +358 40 764 2009, email: timo.hannula@paliskunnat.fi
Pekka Aikio, S?mi Parliament, member of the Working Group on Forest Certification Standards. Phone +358 16 615 090, mobile +358 400 272 815, email: pekka.aikio@samediggi.inet.fi
Kari Pelkonen, Mets?hallitus, member of the Working Group on Forest Certification Standards. Phone +358 205 64 4462, mobile +358 40 580 3410, e-mail: kari.pelkonen@metsa.fi
Annex 1. Revised Standards of the Finnish Forest Certification System
(the Finnish standards, as well as the Swedish and English translations can be seen at http://www.ffcs-finland.org)
Standards approved by the Working Group on Forest Certification Standards on 29 September 2003:
- Alternative Implementation Levels of the Finnish Forest Certification System (FFCS 1001:2003)
- Criteria for Group Certification for the Area of a Forestry Centre (FFCS 1002-1:2003)
- Criteria for Group Certification for the Area of a Forest Management Association (FFCS 1002-2:2003)
- Criteria for Certification of Holdings of Individual Forest Owners (FFCS 1002-3:2003)
Standards approved by the Finnish Forest Certification Council on 17 December 2003:
- Vocabulary (FFCS 1000:2003)
- Verification of Chain of Custody of Wood - Accounting of Material Flows (FFCS 1003-1:2003)
- Verification of Chain of Custody of Wood - Physical Segregation (FFCS 1003-2:2003)
- Qualifications Criteria for Auditors and Certification Bodies; certification procedures
(FFCS 1004:2003)
Annex 2. Members of the Working Group on Forest Certification Standards in 2002-2003
Participating organizations 9.4.2002-29.9.2003
- Ecclesiastical Board / Church of Finland
- Association of Forest Machine Entrepreneurs
- Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK)
- METO - Forestry Experts Association
- Timber Truck Transport Entrepeneurs
- Forest and Park Service (Mets?hallitus)
- Mets?liitto Cooperative
- Union of Academic Foresters
- Hunters? Centre Organisation
- Finnish Forest Industries Federation
- Reindeer Herders' Association
- Wood and Allied Workers Union
- Association of Finnish Furniture and Joinery Industries
- S?mi Parliament
- Sawing Entrepreneurs
- Stora Enso Oyj, Forest
- Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities
- Finnish Ski Track
- Association of Finnish Forest Estate Owners
- Finnish Sawmills
- Finnish 4 H Federation
- Central Union of Swedish Speaking Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (SLC)
- UPM-Kymmene Oyj, Forest
Other members (with no voting rights)
- Liisa Saarenmaa, Helsinki University (since 1 January 2003 Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry), Chair
- Hannu Niemel?, Forestry Development Centre Tapio, Secretary
- Auvo Kaivola, Finnish Forest Certification Council, Invited expert
- Antti Koskim?ki, Forestry Centre H?me-Uusimaa, Invited expert
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