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After a participatory process involving FSC members, public consultations, and field testing, Brazil now has a new FSC Forest Stewardship Standard for Natural Forests. This will replace the previous version (SLIMF and “Terra Firme”) and will come into effect on 1 October 2025. Natural forests certified under this new standard will ensure environmental and social benefits, promoting biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource management, and the protection of the rights of local and Indigenous communities. Additionally, it will enable Brazilian forestry companies to respond to the growing demands of both the local and international markets. Brazil is home to one of the largest expanses of tropical forests in the world, essential for global biodiversity and climate balance. FSC certification has guided forest management in the country for more than two decades, but an update of the standard was necessary to align it with FSC’s Principles and Criteria and to strengthen its impact. The new standard aims to balance responsible forest production with conservation, ensuring that Brazilian forests continue to provide ecological, social, and economic benefits in the future.
Following many years of decline, Södra is now seeing a clear trend break in the proportion of Scots pine seedlings sold.
"This spring, some 1.7 million pine seedlings are being dispatched from our Flåboda Nursery, while the figure for spring 2016 is 2.5 million seedlings. In total, Södra will deliver 3.5 million pine seedlings this year, which is up about two million on the low point," says Ida Karlsson, Manager at Flåboda Nursery.
Because of the association of the forest sector in Russia and Belarus with armed conflict, no FSC-certified material or controlled wood from these countries will be permitted to be traded. FSC remains deeply concerned about Russia’s aggressive invasion of Ukraine and stands in solidarity with all victims of this violence. With full commitment to FSC’s mission and standards, and after a thorough analysis of the potential impact of withdrawal of FSC certification, the FSC International Board of Directors has agreed to suspend all trading certificates in Russia and Belarus and to block all controlled wood sourcing from the two countries. This means that wood and forest products from Russia and Belarus cannot be used in FSC products or be sold as FSC certified anywhere in the world as long as the armed violence continues. FSC will continue to closely monitor the situation and is ready to take additional measures to protect the integrity of its system.