Certification

Revised FSC US Forest Stewardship Standard (V2) – Coming Soon

FSC US is excited to announce the approval of the revised Forest Stewardship Standard (Version 2), set for official publication on January 1, 2026. This marks the culmination of seven years of development, public consultation, and collaboration with FSC International.

Why the Update?

The revision aligns the U.S. standard with FSC International’s updated Principles & Criteria (V5) and International Generic Indicators (IGIs), while also addressing key stakeholder priorities. Regular updates are required to ensure consistency with global standards.

What to Expect

An unofficial version of the revised standard is now available for early review. While not yet formally published, it reflects all finalized requirements—only minor formatting and grammar edits are expected before the official release.

Transition Timeline

  • Publication Date: January 1, 2026
  • Effective Date (Transition period begins): April 1, 2026
  • Transition Period Ends: September 30, 2027

During the transition period (April 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027), both the current and revised standards are valid. To maintain certification, certificate holders must fully conform with the revised standard before the end of this period.

Upcoming Webinars

FSC US is offering two initial webinars that will both provide an overview of expectations and requirements related to the revised standard, as well as a summary of the most significantly changed elements and lots of time for questions. Additional in-person and virtual engagement opportunities are being planned for 2026 and will be added here as finalized.

  • General Overview (60 min; For non-technical audiences): Wednesday, November 5, 1-2 PM Eastern Time REGISTER HERE
  • Technical Deep Dive (2 hours; For practitioners): Thursday, November 6, 1-3 PM Eastern Time REGISTER HERE

NOTE: Recordings from the above webinars will be added to this web page.

Audits During the Transition Period

During the transition period, a certificate holder’s regular audit schedule is expected to continue. Because of the 18-month transition window, some certificate holders may undergo two audits during this period. As both the old and new standards are valid during this time, it is possible to be audited under V1.1 first, then shift to V2 before the next audit and the end of the transition period.

If the first V2 audit is a re-certification audit, all aspects of the revised V2 standard will be evaluated.

If the first V2 audit is a surveillance audit:

  • The requirements in Section 10 of FSC-STD-20-007 will apply – this means that certain criteria are required to be audited, and the V2 standard will be used for these.
  • We are working with FSC International to clarify when the remaining V2 changed elements will be required to be evaluated – i.e., whether all changed elements must be audited prior to the end of the transition period or whether Certification Bodies could elect to audit lower risk changed elements after the transition period ends (but before the end of the 5-year certification cycle).

We are also working to confirm whether major non-conformances from the first V2 audit must be closed prior to the end of the transition period, as this could affect when a certificate holder chooses to have their first V2 audit.

However, all certificate holders must be in conformance with all aspects of the revised standard before the end of the transition period, and auditors will likely ask for evidence that this happened even if the evaluation of that element doesn’t occur until after the transition period ends.

Support Tools

To support certificate holders and stakeholders, FSC US is developing a suite of tools and resources. Support tools already available include:

As new resources are developed, they will be added to this page. If you have specific requests for potential resources to support you through the transition, please reach out to Carly Evans c.evans at us.fsc point org.