What is FSC®?

Posted September 27, 2022

FSC® is a seal of approval for wood. This wood comes from forests that are responsibly managed. Responsible means taking into account ecological, economic and social questions of the present and future. FSC® stands for Forest Stewardship Council or Council for Sustainable Forest Management.

For FSC, responsible forest management means balancing ecological, social and economic interests. Ecological interests include giving the forest a chance to recover after timber harvesting, harvesting less than the accretion during the recovery period, and not harvesting trees along watercourses and on steep slopes to prevent erosion. Social concerns relate to the rights of indigenous peoples, the working conditions of forest workers and the employment opportunities provided by FSC forest management. Economic interests include employment and income for the local economy and healthy local business operations focused on continuity, forest conservation and prevention of illegal logging and burning down

Did you know that 36 soccer fields of forest disappear every minute? This occurs mainly in tropical forests in the South American Amazon, the African Congo Basin and Southeast Asia. Deforestation accounts for 15% of global CO2 emissions on an annual basis and thus plays a major role in climate change. In addition, 80% of the world’s animals depend on the forest, as do millions of people who live or work in the forest.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international organization dedicated to conservation and responsible forest management worldwide. FSC speaks of responsible forest management when ecological, social and economic aspects associated with forest management are taken into account in a balanced way.