You...

... practice forest management
... are a woodlot owner
... transform forest products
... sell forest products
... are an individual or group interested in sustainable forestry
... are a consumer of forest products
... are a journalist

You practice forest management

You are a timber license holder, or you operate on large forested land, and you are interested in certification. You may have already asked yourself whether or not it is for you. Here are some elements to help you answer:

• FSC certification ensures the recongition on your responsible forestry practices among consumers;
• It helps to meet certain requirements of the public for good forestry;
• it gives a competitive edge to your products and opens the door to value-added markets; the growing network of producers, resellers and users of certified forest products creates new market opportunities and stabilizes the market as well;
• It helps to reach internal policy objectives (for example, demonstrating to investors your commitment to sustainable forestry).

Once you have decided that you do want to pursue FSC certification, it would be cautious to become acquainted with the FSC Principles and Criteria of Forest Stewardship, as well as with currently endorsed regional standards for neighbouring regions. The Quebec regional standards are in development, and the requirement to harmonize standards of neighbouring regions with similar caracteristics implies that these existing standards provide a good idea of the content of the future Quebec standards.

This being done, contact the different FSC-accredited certification bodies. Shop around, fees and timetables may vary. Some have their offices far from Quebec, but the audit team must have on board some people from the province to provide local expertise. You may choose to undergo a pre-audit: this will tell you if you are near the mark, and what you need to improve. It is not an obligatory step, but may save you money if you undergo a certification audit straight away and turn out not being eligible the first time around...

The certification audit can establish pre-conditions to your certification: these must be met before you can be certified. There can also be conditions set, which allow you to be certified, but you must meet these conditions in the required timeframe (a few months to a year, generally).

There is an annual maintenance audit, much less thorough than the main certification audit.

You are a woodlot owner

As for forest managers, the following reasons can lead you to consider FSC certification:

• It ensures your good forestry practices are known by the public;
• it helps to meet a certain public demand for recognized sustainable practices;
• it gives a competitive edge to your products and opens the door to value-added markets; the growing network of producers, resellers and users of certified forest products creates new market opportunities and stabilizes the market as well.

In order to benefit from economies of scale, it is possible for woodlot owners to group together to obtain FSC certification. This can be done through a groupement forestier, or through a common forest manager. Wood marketing boards in Quebec are currently also exploring the role they can play within the FSC system.

Certification on an individual basis is also possible, but would be quie expensive for a single landowner. Talk about it to your forester, groupement or marketing board, and do not hesitate to contat us or to give them our contact information.

You transform forest products

For you, FSC certification

• adds value to a product by garanteeing its environmentally and socially responsible origins;
• demonstrates your social and environmental commitment to your staff and customers;
• helps you in gaining access to the increasing "green" market.

The Certified Forest Products Council and ForestWorld both hold a database (here and here) of the forest lands and of the companies that transform and provide FSC certified wood, sorted by province or state, or by kind of wood. (Run a thorough search query: when we tried it in one of them, Matériaux Blanchet appeared in the alphabetical sort, but not in the geographical one...)

Note that if you want to transform FSC certified wood, you will need to get an FSC Chain-of-Custody certificate. This certificate requires only a short audit of your facilities, in order to ensure you have a system in place to separate certified wood from the non-certified wood. This certificate is required if the finished product is to carry the FSC trademark. Most FSC accredited certification bodies can audit for this type of certificate.

You sell forest products

For you, FSC certification

• adds value to a product by garanteeing its environmentally and socially responsible origins;
• demonstrates your social and environmental commitment to your staff and customers;
• helps you in gaining access to the increasing "green" market.

The Certified Forest Products Council and ForestWorld both hold a database (here and here) of the forest lands and of the companies that transform and provide FSC certified wood, sorted by province or state, or by kind of wood. (Run a thorough search query: when we tried it in one of them, Matériaux Blanchet appeared in the alphabetical sort, but not in the geographical one...)

Note that if you want to transform FSC certified wood, you will need to get an FSC Chain-of-Custody certificate. This certificate requires only a short audit of your facilities, in order to ensure you have a system in place to separate certified wood from the non-certified wood. This certificate is required if the finished product is to carry the FSC trademark. Most FSC accredited certification bodies can audit for this type of certificate.

You are an individual or group interested in sustainable forestry

Bravo! If you are member of an organisation, you can participate in the elaboration of the FSC standards for Quebec. Go to this page to see in which of the four "chambers" your organisation can fit. If the Steering Committee to sees to develop regional standards according to the FSC Principles and Criteria is already formed when you read these lines, you can ask one of the representatives in your chamber to stay in contact with you to inform you of the developments and ask for your feedback as the work progresses.

Individuals and local groups will have the opportunity to comment on the draft standards once they are completed (scheduled for December 2002). Check back to this website to find out about the latest developments.

You are a consumer of forest products

Look for forest products (wood, furniture, paper) that bears the following logo. It is the garantee that the forest of origin was responsibly managed for the environment and the surrounding human communities.

The Certified Forest Products Council and ForestWorld both hold a database (here and here) of the forest lands and of the companies that transform and provide FSC certified wood, sorted by province or state, or by kind of wood. (Run a thorough search query: when we tried it in one of them, Matériaux Blanchet appeared in the alphabetical sort, but not in the geographical one...)

Retailers such as The Home Depot and IKEA have committed to hold FSC certified products. Rona l'entrepôt et Réno-Dépôt have both shown interest in supporting financially the development of FSC standards for Quebec. You can help in increasing the availability of FSC certified products by talking to your store manager and referring her or him to this website. We will list the retaillers holding FSC certified products as they add to the list.

You are a journalist

Documents, activity reports and press releases are on this page. If you want to illustrate an article with the FSC trademark, we can provide it to you in electronic format, in white or black. Be aware that a few rules suround its use: in must measure at least 10 mm in height, and an "exclusion zone" equal to the height of the FSC letters must surround it and be free of text. Si vous souhaitez illustrer votre article avec le logo du FSC, nous pouvons vous le fournir en format électronique, en noir ou en blanc.

Feel free to contact us for further details on our activities.