This article was supplied by Mary Bull, of the Greenwood Earth Alliance:
Author: FSC-Watch
Green groups call for urgent reform of the FSC – certifiers ‘eroding credibility’
On 30th October, more than 75 environmental organisations from 25 countries wrote a letter to the Executive Director of FSC, Heiko Liedeker, and the FSC’s International Board, calling for urgent improvements to the FSC system. The groups include WWF International, Greenpeace International, Birdlife Internationl, Friends of the Earth UK, the Sierra Club and Environmental Defense.
The FSC, Panamanian teak plantations, and the mafia
SmartWood’s certificate for plantation outfit Prime Forestry Panama was suspended in May 2006, but SmartWood noted at the time that:
“From February 2003 to September 2005, SmartWood carried out 5 on-site audits of Prime Forestry Panama (August 2003, April and September 2004, March and Sept 2005). Through these audits PFP provided evidence that nonconformances were being addressed and demonstrated ongoing compliance with SmartWood and FSC certification requirements.”
Cameroon: Wijma still certified, as official observer finds new illegalities
The following article by Philippe Chibani-Jacquot first appeared on novethic.fr, in October, 2006 (*):
Slovakia – the ‘race to the bottom’ for FSC’s certification standards
The certification by the Soil Association in 2001 of Presov Forest District (PFD, part of the state forestry service) in Slovakia, has always been controversial.
Local environmental groups, such as WOLF/Friends of the Earth Slovakia have long argued that PFD was in gross non-compliance with the FSC’s Principles and Criteria. They provided detailed, Principle-by-Principle critiques of PFD’s operations, both before and after the certificate was issued, detailing multiple failures to comply with the P&C. These were evidently ignored by the Soil Association, who issued the certificate, and maintained it until 2006.
Green groups demand cancellation of certificates in Galicia and Uruguay
From the galician ecologist movement to the FSC:
Certified ‘chainsaw criminals’ in Cameroon
This item was written by Philippe Chibani-Jacquot in Cameroon. (It is worth adding that Wijma had been called a ‘Chainsaw Criminal’ by Greenpeace in 2002.)
FSC and the nightmare vision of forestry in the US
This was sent by Jon Mohler, October 2006:
FSC-Watch 