FSC-certified wood is wood that is certified under the standards set by FSC or the Forest Stewardship Council. FSC-certification is given to companies and landowners to verify that they practice forestry that is consistent with FSC standards. The FSC label on wood or paper products guarantees that consumers can trust the sources.
FSC is a non-profit organization that advocates responsible management of the world's forests and its standards ensure that forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible way that takes into account economic viability, and social responsibility.
Actual certification is carried out by independent certification organizations that are accredited by FSC to carry out assessments. It is the duty of these certifiers to also verify that companies seeking to sell FSC certified products have tracked their supply back to FSC certified sources. This entire process ensures that consumers can trust the FSC label.
FSC has the support of trusted environmental organizations such as Greenpeace, National Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, and World Wildlife Fund. FSC-US, based in Washington, DC, is the U.S. "chapter" of FSC International, based in Bonn Germany.
