A voluntary standard to communicate conformance of wood and paper-based products with requirements of different tracing systems, forest management certification programs, and voluntary and regulatory standards related to forest products.
Geographical Areas of Interest
Global, but available data are initially limited to the U.S.
Supply Chain Focus
Forest production
Related CHapters
Traceability
The Standard does not cover, and is not applicable to, materials from unknown sources. Users need to know the geographic origin of the raw materials that go into the product to a level that is appropriate to support claims to consumers.
Information Accuracy
The Standard is applicable to non-controversial products of known origin, including SFM certified products, legally-verified products, or products with chain of custody certification. The Standard seeks to provide a framework to help differentiate products in the marketplace, based on qualities and values important to the buyers, and beyond the variability of forestry certification systems.
Legality
The Standard is applicable only to products that originate from jurisdictions with low risk of illegal activity, or from controlled wood standards, stair-step standards, legality assessments, or other proprietary standards.
SFM
The Standard characterizes sources as “responsible” if controls in place ensure compliance with best management practices to protect water sources. It characterizes sources as “certified” if they are certified to credible forest certification schemes, or conform to the American Society for Testing and Materials’ (ASTM) own standard for the evaluation of forest management plans. The Standard also includes in appendices, for discussion purposes, provisions related to protective forestry practices. Practices including cultivation of exotic species, forest-composition changes, systematic use and reliance on chemicals, and systematic elimination of natural in-growth of native trees cumulatively disqualify a source from being characterized as coming from areas with protective practices.