Certification Systems

Major Third Party Certification in the Us and Canada

Canada is a world leader in the development and implementation of independent, third party forest certification programs. Canadian manufacturers want their customers to have proof that the products meet the sustainability standards.

International Standard Organization (ISO)

Evaluates environmental management systems.

Certification Fact - Most of B.C.'s major forest companies have certified ISO 14001 international environmental standards.

Canadian Standards Association (CSA)

Evaluates forest practices and performance using internationally recognized criteria that are adapted to local conditions through a transparent public participation process.
Includes a product label and a chain of custody.
The Council of European Paper Industries has ranked the CSA as among the best in the world and the American Forest and Paper Association recognizes it as the functional equivalent of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

Certification Fact - B.C. has 5.3 million hectares (13.1 million acres) certified under the Canadian Standards Association.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)

Evaluates forest practices using a tough standard of environmental principles, objectives, performance measures and core indicators.
Guided by an independent sustainable forest board.
Includes a product label.

Certification Fact - B.C. has 9.5 million hectares (23.5 million acres) certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, developed by the American Forest and Paper Association.

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

Evaluates forest practices using 10 guiding principles adapted to local conditions using regional standards.
Includes a product label and a chain of custody.

Certification Fact - A regional standard for B.C. has been developed but has not yet been approved by FSC International for use. As a result, few FSC certifications have occurred to date. However, 89,130 hectares (220,237 acres) in B.C. have been certified by individual FSC certifiers operating with their own checklists.

What is Forest Product Certification?

Evaluation of forest practices by an independent, third-party.
Protects environmental values - biodiversity, soil and water quality.
Can include a label and a chain of custody .

Evaluation

Forest companies operating in BC must meet or exceed the high forest management standards demanded by government. In addition, they also have a high level of third-party certification, which gives customers added assurance that they are practising responsible and sustainable forest management.

Environment

The forests are assessed according to rigorous, measurable and scientific criteria that include ensuring protection of biodiversity and preserving soil and water quality.

Label and Chain of Custody

Forest products can include a label indicating they have been approved as environmentally-friendly and a chain-of-custody system, which tracks a wood product from a tree in the forest through all the steps of processing and production until it reaches the consumer.

Comparing the CSA and FSC Standards

Consult the table below for a side by side comparison of the Canadian Standards Association and the Forest Stewardship Council.

	Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Mississauga, Ont.	Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Oaxaca, Mexico
Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Standard	CAN/CSA Z809 (1996) Approved as national standard of Canada by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC).	FSC 1995 Approved by the FSC Board.
Standards Development Process	Multi-stakeholder CSA SFM technical committee, Canada-wide public consultation, input, and review process. Accountable to the SCC.	FSC national or regional working groups, public review and input process. Accountable to its own membership base.
Application	Canada - Defined Forest Area	International - Defined Forest Area
Performance-Based Standard	Canada's Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM) SFM criteria and critical elements set the minimum performance level. Adapted to local conditions through a public participation process. Criteria are consistent with internationally recognized Montreal & Helsinki Process criteria for the sustainable management of boreal and temperate forests.	Performance requirements focus on specific measurable indicators that vary across regions and countries, i.e. harvesting methods, chemical use, forest conservation etc.
Key Forest Management Elements of Standard	ISO 14001 System Elements CCFM Criteria: Conservation of biological diversity Maintenance and enhancement of forest ecosystem condition Conservation of soil and water resources Forest ecosystem contributions to global ecological cycles Multiple benefits to society Accepting society's responsibility for sustainable development These criteria are further refined using 21 critical elements to be adapted to the defined forest area.	10 Guiding Principles: Compliance with laws and FSC Principles Tenure and use rights and responsibilities Indigenous people rights Community relations and workers' rights Benefits from the forest Environmental Impact Management plan Monitoring and assessment Maintenance of high conservation value forests Plantations
Requirements for Compliance with Legislation	Includes a commitment to meet or exceed all legislation, regulatory standards, policies, and interpretation requirements.	Requires compliance with all legislation, regulations and policies.
Local public input required?	Extensive, on-going public process - identifying local values, goals, indicators and objectives. Public consultation may be required based on the scale of the operations.	Audit Scope 3rd party audits of the system and performance. 3rd party audits of management planning and performance.

Why Real Cedar

Cedar Siding

Quotes

For optimum performance, the WRCLA recommends that Western Red Cedar is preprimed or pre-finished prior to job site delivery.
Western Red Cedar produces fewer greenhouse gases, generates less water and air pollution, requires less energy to produce than alternatives and comes from a renewable and sustainable resource.
Western Red Cedar from WRCLA members is independently certified as legal and sustainable.
• Western Red Cedar requires significantly less energy to produce than fibre cement or wood composite materials.
Unlike man-made alternatives, Western Red Cedar is biodegradeable.
Western Red Ce¬dar has the lowest environmental impact when compared with other materials such as brick and fibre cement.
The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (WRCLA) is non profit association representing Western Red Cedar producers, distributors and retailers throughout North America.
Western Red Cedar is one of the most durable coniferous species and can be counted on to give long and trouble free service under most conditions.
Western Red Cedar is light weight, easily worked and ideal for almost all types of finishes.
Western Red Cedar has centuries of proven performance which cannot be said of new man made products.
The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Western Red Cedar siding and decking shows it has the lowest overall environmental impact when compared with brick, vinyl and fibre cement siding.
Western Red Cedar is free of pitch and resin which makes it an excellent base for protective coatings.
Western Red Cedar has 400 times better insulation (R) value than steel, 2000 times that of aluminum, 8 times that of concrete.

For wood decking information visit www.cedar-decking.org|For wood fence, fencing, gazebo and arbor info visit www.cedar-outdoor.org