According to many representatives of the forestry sector, FSC certification in Ukraine is now not only an independent confirmation of the responsibility of timber sources for businesses, but also a determining factor in their presence in Western markets, competitiveness, and survival in the current difficult conditions.
The FSC Ukraine webinar was specifically aimed at certificate holders of Forest Management system and Chain of Custody. Indeed, modern challenges and existing risks required extraordinary decisions from FSC International and measures to mitigate them from certificate holders and certification bodies.
The participants learned about FSC International's decision to maintain forest certification and assist certificate holders in meeting FSC requirements. Thus, the changes in the FSC normative framework introduced in March this year, which provide more flexibility in certification assessments, have been extended until June 30, 2023. In addition, the new derogation FSC-DER-2022-016 postponed the end of the transition period for the FSC-STD-40-004 V3-1 standard until April 30, 2023. More information can be found in the news section.
Holders of Forest Management system certificates with areas affected by armed conflict, including areas contaminated by explosive ordnance, have learned about a new interpretation of FSC's Excision Policy (FSC-POL-20-003). This document opens up the possibility of maintaining certification both with and without the exclusion of contaminated areas from the scope of certificates, but subject to careful compliance with certain requirements.
The webinar was focused on the possibilities of obtaining FSC-certified status by the branches of the newly created SFE "Forests of Ukraine" and, accordingly, on ensuring the continuity of supply of FSC-certified forest products. In this context, Yuriy Bolokhovets, Head of the State Agency of Forest Resources of Ukraine, emphasized the chosen certification model, according to which branches within the single SFE "Forests of Ukraine" should become individual certificate holders. Ihor Lytsur, Director General of the State Specialized Forest Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine", spoke about the peculiarities of acquiring rights and powers in carrying out economic activities by branches, as well as about the steps taken to establish communication between branches and certification bodies. Representatives of certification bodies emphasized the importance of a high-quality assessment at the branch level of expected changes in the management system in accordance with the FSC national standard. Such self-assessment should be a part of the risk-based approach that certification bodies will apply to the certification of branches.
At the end of the webinar, FSC Ukraine Director Pavlo Kravets said: "A number of decisions made by FSC, taking into account the extraordinary conditions in Ukraine, contributed to the maintenance of certification in the country and the ability of certificate holders to continue to operate responsibly, demonstrating their commitment to FSC values. It is important that the global scale of the organization allows us to apply certification procedures regardless of the chosen operating model of a business entity. We will continue to support our certificate holders to ensure the integrity of the system and the accomplishment of FSC's mission".
The materials of the webinar (in Ukrainian) are available below: