Controlled wood

Controlled wood is uncertified material from acceptable sources that can be mixed with FSC-certified material in products that carry the FSC MIX label.

It is a first step to improve forest management because it places restrictions on the procurement of non-FSC certified wood.

Controlled wood large image

FAQs

  1. Why does FSC allow controlled wood?

    FSC forest management certification requirements are demanding for forest managers to implement. Supply of certified wood is often not sufficiently available to meet demand. Therefore, FSC allows companies to source controlled wood to make up a limited percentage (up to 30%) of the total manufactured product. Controlled wood provides an acceptable option for those companies that cannot procure themselves enough FSC-certified material and still offer consumers the possibility of purchasing products from certified and controlled sources.

  2. How can I source controlled wood?

    FSC has developed a standard FSC-STD-40-005 Requirements for Sourcing FSC Controlled Wood which needs to be implemented by certified companies wanting to source controlled wood.

    The FSC Controlled Wood Standard requires the certificate holders that use controlled wood to mitigate the risk of using wood products from undesirable sources in FSC-labeled products. Mitigation must be implemented when the risk of sourcing from non-certified forests is greater than 'low' (as assessed in FSC risk assessments).

    In other words, under FSC’s controlled wood standard, organisations must commit to obtaining their raw materials from low-risk sources which excludes five unacceptable categories:

    1) Illegally harvested forests
    2) Forests that were harvested in violation of traditional and civil rights
    3) Forests where High Conservation Values are threatened by management activities
    4) Natural forests that were converted to non-forest uses
    5) Forests with genetically modified trees.
     

  3. What is the FSC National Risk Assessment?

    FSC national risk assessment (NRA) is document where certified companies that wish to source controlled wood may find the assessment of the risk of sourcing material from unacceptable sources in a given country, developed according to FSC-PRO-60-002 V3-0 EN The Development and Approval of FSC National Risk Assessments.

    This risk assessment shall be used when implementing The FSC Controlled Wood Standard.

    Currently, NRAs in the Adria-Balkan Region have been developed for sourcing controlled wood from Slovenia and Croatia. You may find these two NRAs below.

FSC Risk Assessment Platform

This platform provides a simplified, easy-to-use overview of the contents of all 60 FSC risk assessments for use when applying FSC-STD-40-005 Requirements for Sourcing FSC Controlled Wood. On this platform you can find summaries of the risk descriptions and the precise control measures that are contained in the original risk assessments. This information is provided with the intent of making it more accessible to certificate holders and certification bodies.