Filling a public policy gap in Canada: Forest certification

Abstract

With the opening of a policy space between the public's demand for forest regulation and the ability or willingness of governments to fill that demand, forest certification programs have emerged to fill the gap. The Government of Canada supports certification as an assertion of sustainable forest management that can be communicated to buyers of Canadian forest products. The federal government has played several distinct roles during the development and establishment of forest certification in Canada, as expert, landowner, policy-setter, strategic partner and buyer.