Become Certified


There are two types of FSC certification: Forest Management and Chain of Custody. In both types of certification, independent FSC-accredited Certification Bodies ("certifiers") verify that all FSC-certified forests conform to the requirements contained within an FSC forest management standard.

Certifiers assess forest management and chain of custody operations using the FSC standards. Certifiers are independent of FSC and the companies they are auditing. This third-party verification is crucial to the integrity of the FSC system. 

Forest Management Certification
If you are a forest manager, there are two options to become certified to FSC Forest Management standards:

Chain-of-Custody Certification
Any company that is taking ownership of a product, all the way up to the end user, will need to be FSC certified to be able to pass along the FSC claim to the next company. If you are a company that manufactures or trades in FSC certified products, there are two options to become certified to FSC Chain of Custody standards:

  • Contact an FSC-accredited Certification Body.
  • If you have gross annual sales of wood products that are less than $5 million (USD), you are eligible for Chain of Custody Group Certification. Contact a Group Manager to learn more about joining a group.