The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently published this year's Annual Market Review, 2005-2006. The publication provides general statistical information on forest product markets and related policies in Europe, North America and the Commonwealth of Independent States. It also includes interesting information on FSC certification. These are the highlights:
FSC is the world's fastest growing forest certification scheme. Over the last year it increased by one third. In comparison, PEFC grew by 5% over the same period of time. In real numbers this equals a growth of 20 million hectares for FSC and 10 million hectares for PEFC.
Approximately 7% of the world's forests (270 million hectares) are covered by third-party certification scheme. This is a major achievement since FSC implemented the first third-party forest certification in 1993. Today, FSC accounts for the largest certified area with 28% of area certified globally. It is followed by CSA with 26% and PEFC with 23%.
The report notes that while the original driver for certification might have been uncontrolled deforestation in the tropics, its adoption has been far more successful in the northern hemisphere, in the temperate and boreal regions than in the tropical zone, and in the developed than in the developing world.
Again, FSC is spearheading the development: PEFC-certified forests lie almost exclusively in EU/EFTA countries and North America (96%). Its share in the tropics is less than 1%. FSC is spread more evenly geographically with more than one third of its certified area outside EU/EFTA countries and North America. In all newly certified tropical and sub-tropical forest areas, FSC has issued the first certificates. Over the last year Guyana, Laos, Cameroon, Mozambique, the Republic of Korea and Viet Nam have joined the groups of countries with FSC certified forest areas.
The top ten countries with the largest certified forest area show a clear tendency towards a single certification scheme. Canada, Finland, Norway, Germany, Australia and France are dominated by PEFC or PEFC-endorsed systems.
FSC is the predominant certification system in Russia, Poland and Brazil. The US and Sweden have several schemes certifying almost equal amounts of forests. Since 1998 the number of Chain of Custody (CoC) certificates has increased tremendously. By mid-2006 the number of certificates worldwide totaled 7,200. 64% of these were issued by FSC. Only FSC and PEFC offer full CoC certification. FSC certificates have been issued in 73 countries, while PEFC has certificates in 22 countries.
The publication notes a change in the market for sawn hardwood in the last 18 months. The increased availability of certified logs (mainly FSC certified state forests in eastern Europe and PEFC certified forests in France and Germany) has led to European hardwood trading companies pursuing chain of custody certification and actively marketing certified wood products to their customers. The full publication is available on-line at: https://unp.un.orgFSC News
