With the German Forest Certification Standard seeking endorsement by PEFC for the third time, interested parties from around the world are encouraged to input into the independent assessment by 13 August 2010.
"Certification of small- and family forest owners is considered to be one of the major challenges for forest certification globally, a challenge that also applies to Germany," said Dirk Teggelbekkers, PEFC Germany General Secretary. "The size of an average forest holding in Germany is only 2.4 hectares, yet about two-thirds of all forests in Germany are PEFC certified. This indicates that we have successfully managed to adapt PEFC's globally applicable Sustainability Benchmarks to the specific conditions in our country, paying particular attention to the needs of small forest owners."
In total, one third of Germany is covered by forests. It is estimated that 1.1 million people work in the forest and wood sector, with the forest industry contributing to the German economy with an annual turnover of €108 billion.
The German forest certification standard was originally endorsed in 2000 and re-endorsed in 2005. With PEFC endorsements only valid for five years, national forest certification standards are required to undergo revisions every five years with the participation of all interested stakeholder groups. Revised national standards are then independently assessed for compliance with PEFC International's Sustainability Benchmarks. Global public consultations are part of the assessment process, providing all stakeholders with the opportunity to comment on the standard.
Please submit your comments by 13 August 2010 using PEFC's Online Consultation Tool.
Further Information
- Participate in the national public consultation
- Revised Scheme Documentation (
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