Certification on public and university lands: Evaluations of FSC and SFI by the forest managers

Abstract

Three state public forest management agencies, a federal historic area, and two universities with extensive research forests participated in a study to test the applicability of the two major forest management certification programs to their forestlands. Two separate field-based assessments were performed on the same lands at approximately the same time. The agencies then participated in a "reverse evaluation," in which they judged the relevance of independent, third-party certification to their mission and goals, and the degree to which each certification process facilitated improvements in the conservation and sustainable management of their forests. Among other differences between the certification programs, agency personnel found that SFI auditors were more rigorous in their expectations for continuous improvement, and FSC was more thorough in its coverage of biological, ecological, and social issues.