It is not possible to talk about maintaining a healthy environment without forests and trees. Forests, air and water cleaning, erosion and flood prevention, the enrichment of the soil, birds, animals and plants to create a nest, human life has numerous benefits. In order to create resources and support a healthy environment, forests need to be well cared for and used wisely according to the rules. Unfortunately, forest resources are being used by industrialists as well as by individual people, and forests all over the world are being destroyed rapidly without the opportunity to grow again.
Sustainable use of forests has become more and more important. Sustainable forest management means protecting forests for future generations while using forests to meet daily needs. Of course it is not possible to apply the same method everywhere for sustainable use of forests. Every country and every society has to find the best method for themselves and their forests. If sustainable forest management plans are made in this way, they will assist people at the point of decision making to best use and protect forests. Forests will be able to resist the threats only through such measures. However, the most important point of sustainable forest management is to ensure that the people living in that region are aware of the use and protection of forests.
There is an important balance between the need to use forests and forest resources and the need to protect them for future generations. If forests are used excessively and irresponsibly, great damage will occur in the long term.
Both in the world and in our country, the awareness of protecting nature and protecting the environment is increasing day by day. The importance given to the protection of forests is also increasing. Nowadays, many industrial companies are sensitive to supplying raw materials and semi-processed products from well-managed forests.
What does well-managed forests mean?
Firms producing, distributing and using a number of forest products came together in California in 1990 to initiate the first studies of well-managed forests. Non-governmental organizations working on environmental and human rights have also participated in these studies. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), established in this way, has started initiatives for responsible and sustainable forest management. It quickly became a non-profit and international organization.
The Forest Management Council (FSC) is committed to bringing people together and preventing bad forest policies and spreading forest management systems around the world.
The main objective of this organization is to promote the systematic and intelligent management of all forests on earth. To this end, we determine sustainable forest management principles and try to ensure that forestry is carried out in accordance with these principles. Everything is done to protect forest areas and to maintain the permanent existence of forests.
The first steps towards good forest management and sustainable forest management were taken at the World Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. At this summit, a consensus was reached on the management, conservation and sustainable development of forest species and a principle without legal binding was adopted. In the meeting, it was agreed that forest resources and forest areas should be managed in a sustainable way in order to meet the economic, social, ecological and cultural needs of current and future generations. Appropriate measures should be taken to protect forests from hazardous impacts such as air pollution, fire, pests and disease.
What is CoC, Protection Chain Certificate?
Today, the FSC label seen on forest products is a factor that makes it easier for the consumer to make a choice when buying any forest product. This label also has other meanings. The FSC label, for example, shows that the use of increasingly dangerous pesticides and the cultivation of genetically modified trees have been prevented.
The Forest Management Council has initiated certification studies to prove that forest products are produced in accordance with the standards set in this way. This certification system, called Chain of Custody Certification (CoC), encompasses all processes that follow continuously from the supply of raw materials from forests to production, transformation, distribution and reaching the consumer. In this way, the consumer gets information about the source of the products. The FSC-CoC Certificate ensures that the right product is manufactured using the right methods.
In the meantime, the Forest Management Council controls the activities of the companies holding FSC-CoC Certificate at least once a year and tries to make the system sustainable.
Today, 107 million hectares have been certified in the FSC-CoC Forest Management System worldwide. Nearly 60 of this area is composed of natural forests, close to 35 is semi-natural and nursery areas, and close to 10 is nursery areas.
In addition to the certification of forests, products from the forests should also be certified. The certification bodies audit the companies that use the certified forest raw material and issue certificates for the producer companies. FSC-CoC Forest Management System covers all processes from certified forest products to reaching consumers.
The FSC-CoC standard is similar to the ISO 9001 Quality Method System standard, but is intended primarily for companies that manufacture or supply forest products. This standard requires the use of products from well-managed forests.
The FSC-CoC Certificate shows that certified forest products come from certified, well-managed forests and do not interfere with non-certified forest products or products of unknown origin in any process of the supply chain.
Thanks to forest management in accordance with environmental conditions, products are now obtained without harming the productivity, biodiversity and ecological processes of forests. Today the best way to prove that a forest product is derived from a well-managed resource is to set up the FSC-CoC Forest Management System in the enterprise. More importantly, setting up this system is not enough. It is also necessary to apply continuously.
What Does FSC-CoC Certificate Gain to Companies?
Firms that have established and implemented FSC-CoC Forest Management System standard in their enterprises can apply to an accredited certification body and request that they be given certificates. FSC-CoC certification activities are carried out by accredited certification bodies. The Forest Management Council (FSC) does not issue documents directly. In this way, it maintains its impartiality in setting the relevant standards. The Forest Management Council endeavors to ensure the correct management of forest areas and forest resources in the world, to determine related methods, to set standards, to monitor and monitor the implementation of these standards through independent and accredited organizations.
Companies wishing to obtain FSC-CoC Certificate must first apply this standard in their enterprises. In this context, critical control points should be identified and the risk of interfering between certified and non-certified products should be eliminated. The documentation must also be completed, as in other management systems. Integration is very easy if a Quality Management System has already been established and implemented in the enterprise.
The importance of the FSC-CoC Certificate is increasing in parallel with this awareness in humans. The more consumers want to see that the product they use is from well-managed and sustainable sources, the greater the advantage of companies with FSC-CoC certification. This document proves that the products are supplied from legal and well-managed sources and that efforts are made to leave healthy forests to future generations. This gives the company a reputation.
our organization TÜRCERT Technical Control and Certification Inc.Is ready to help with any doubts about FSC-COC Forest Management System and certification studies.