FSC user-friendly guide to FSC certifcation for smallholders

This guide published by FSC provides guidance on how you, as a smallholder, can seek FSC certification and be rewarded for your long-term and careful management practices. It provides an overview of what FSC certifcation is and highlights examples of actual and potential economic, social and environmental benefts. This guide includes information on existing resources that can help you obtain FSC certifcation. It also offers an insight into projects currently in development that could offer further attractive benefts for you to engage in FSC certification.  

Download FSC user-friendly guide to FSC certifcation for smallholders - Make more out of your forests! (English)

(Spanish version / French version / Portuguese version)

FSC for smallholders

Smallholders is the term used to describe those who own, manage or use forests which are considered “small” in relation to others in their region, and those who apply low intensity harvesting practices to timber and/or non-timber forest products. 

In different parts of the world, smallholders are known by different names – woodlot owners, family forests, small non-industrial private forests, small forest enterprises, community forestry operations, and non-timber forest product (NTFP) harvesters are some examples. Collectively they face cost and procedural barriers to certification. 

Access to FSC certification and its benefits can be more challenging for small forest holders than for larger enterprises. FSC has a number of systems in place for smallholders seeking to demonstrate their long-term and careful management practices. We are also making concerted efforts to identify and develop additional mechanisms for smallholders and set this as a high priority. 

Programs for smallholders

• FSC Small and Low Intensity Managed Forests (SLIMF)
• FSC Group Certification for smallholders

Guidance documents

• Reference guides for technical challenges (English)
• Guías de referencia para problemas técnicos (en español)
• Guides de référence pour les défis techniques (en français)
• Referência guia (em português)
• Referentie gidst (in Nederlands)

Case Studies

• Case studies (English)  
• Casos de estudio (en español)
• Etudes de cas (en français)

Source: FSC.org