It has been nearly a year since the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) published the latest version of its Controlled Wood (CW) standard (FSC-STD-40-005 v.3-0). MixedWood introduced the new version, in an article written last January, this way:   This update has been in the works for nearly 5 years and the subject of seemingly endless discussion, debate, analysis, and hand-wringing.  Two discussion drafts were released – the first in the fall of 2013 and the second in late 2014.  This...

By far the most consistent theme explored in this space has been the persistent and frustrating insistence on the part of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to complicate and confuse the subject of supply chain traceability.  Our principal tool for supply chain traceability is, of course, Chain of Custody (CoC) certification.  And at its root, CoC is simple, or at least it ought to be. But the FSC - as an organization - remains unable to allow anything it touches to remain simple.  It’s...

The MixedWood blog has been idle for several months.  This note is a simple apology to our readers.  And a promise to provide some important, new content very soon. Thank you for your patience.  And stay tuned.

The comment period for the latest round of public discussions by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) on their proposed update to the new Chain of Custody (CoC) stand ends soon.  The 3rd draft was published on 15 June, and the official public consultation period ends on 31 August 2016. We strongly recommend that everyone take part in this consultation.  The details of the FSC Chain of Custody standard are important to over 30,000 participating companies around the world.  Typically, only a few...

In a perfect world, the challenges of certified Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) would focus on large, consequential matters like the role of commercial forestry in climate change, or the rights of vulnerable, rural economies.  Chain of Custody (CoC) standards  - by contrast - seem rather dry, petty, and inconsequential. But our world is not yet perfect.  Chain of Custody certification ought to be simple, but we know it is not.  Even minor procedural details - multiplied by more than 30,000...

Two email communications were circulated this week by the Forest Stewardship Council - International (FSC-IC) staff.  They seem, at first, to address different topics.  But on further examination, we can see that they are closely related and very interesting. Both relate closely to the ongoing, and seemingly endless, update to the primary FSC Chain of Custody Standard (FSC-STD-40-004).  This update process has been underway for over 3 years and the 3rd round of public consultation is currently...