The sustainable management of forests in Bulgaria is moving to a new level. This becomes possible from January 1, 2025, when the revised standard of the international certification system FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) comes into force. It was developed by a specialized expert group, with the participation of representatives of the social, ecological and economic chambers, as well as with the mediation of WWF Bulgaria. Thus, our country becomes the first in the world to successfully complete the revision process of its national standard.
It contains specific requirements for all forest territories in our country, certified according to the world's first independent labeling system for forest products. Its aim is to maintain the balance between ecological forest management and economic benefit in the production of timber, while fully respecting the interests of stakeholders and the rights of forest workers.
"The FSC label guarantees that the product we have acquired is not the result of exploitative and short-sighted, but of socially and ecologically oriented forest management, which is also economically profitable at the same time. The logo assures us that the harvesting of wood for the production of the relevant product is in accordance with the strict principles of FSC and can carry its label", commented Neli Doncheva, head of the "Forests" program in WWF Bulgaria and chairman of the expert group for the development of the standard .
What will improve?
For a forest to be FSC certified, it must meet ten universal principles, 64 criteria and a number of indicators. The indicators reflect the specifics of individual countries and regions and are embedded in the national standards for forest certification. The revised standard incorporates all aspects of the latest FSC principles and criteria. And the indicators are tailored to the working conditions in Bulgaria and contribute to strengthening the following aspects in the management and protection of forests:
- improved transparency of certified organizations;
- enhanced environmental protection by designating 10% of the certified areas as representative samples of natural ecosystems. Economic activities are not allowed in them, with the exception of activities to restore forests to more natural conditions;
- identification and protection of old forests - at least 5% of the forested area of the certified economic units - in which human intervention is inadmissible;
- improving forestry practices by maintaining a certain amount of dead wood, leaving buffer strips along water bodies and watercourses, protecting biotope trees, supporting the natural regeneration of forests;
- improved communication with stakeholders, especially regarding the resolution of disputes that have arisen.
The revision of the standard took almost three years and was based on extensive consultation with a range of stakeholders, including forestry professionals, industry experts, conservationists, scientists and representatives of local communities. Today, FSC-certified forest areas in Bulgaria amount to 2 hectares, which is 036% of all forests. In July, three more state forestry units from the scope of the South Central State Enterprise received a certificate for responsible forest management. These are the forest farms "Slaveino" and "Borino", as well as the hunting farm "Izvora".
What's ahead?
The management of all FSC certified territories must adapt to the requirements of the revised standard by the end of the year at the latest. In order to facilitate this process, WWF Bulgaria plans to conduct specialized trainings with the staff of the certified forestry units. For this purpose, sample internal procedures are prepared to support the smooth transition to the application of the requirements of the revised national standard. More about him can be found HERE.
What is FSC?
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is the world's first independent labeling system for forest products. It was launched in the 90s in response to public concern over the extent of deforestation in some of the planet's most iconic areas such as the Amazon jungle, Siberia, the Congo River Basin, etc. This brings together representatives of environmental associations, trade unions, forest owners, people from the logging and wood processing industry who decide to take action. This is how FSC was born - a non-governmental organization whose standard is now applied in 89 countries on five continents. Its main objective is to balance social, ecological and economic interests in forest management. Currently, more than 161 million hectares of forest areas are FSC® certified worldwide.
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