Forest Certification in Developing and Transitioning ... - UTas ePrints

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forest certification in developing and transitioning countries
Figure 5
Growth of the certified timber supply chain
CoC
90
80
70
60
50
40
52
64
80
30
20
18
10
0
2001 2002 2002 2004
YEAR
Source: Growth of the certified timber CoC — www.fsc.org and www.pefc.org
It is estimated that 1.7 million m 3 of certified wood were processed or sold in the
Latvian market in 2003. Of that amount, approximately 10 percent reached
consumers outside Latvia as finished products (mostly as sawn wood, furniture,
plywood and joinery manufacture). At this time, there is practically no consumer
demand for certified timber or wood products in Latvia.
It is difficult to estimate the volume of certified timber within the market, because
none of the forest management or chain of custody (CoC) certificates follows certified
wood from the forest through the finished product on the international market.
Instead, wood can be traced by the quantity of certificates granted by accredited
certification organizations, or by calculating the amount of certified timber products
available to the consumer and then tracing back through the chain of custody. This
system does not allow comprehensive analysis of the flow of timber through various
countries and under various certification schemes. In addition, different certification
schemes have different accounting systems, and there is no information available on
the actual amount of certified timber sold to consumers and manufacturers.
Effects of Certification
Because of the recent completion of the certification process in state forests, and the
low level of certification in private forests, it appears to be too early to judge the
effects of certification in terms of actual changes in forest management, environmental
or social conditions, or the timber trade and other economic aspects.
Nonetheless, the certification standard-setting process itself has so far produced some
interesting effects within the Latvian forest sector.
yale school of forestry & environmental studies