FSC US has developed a Controlled Wood National Risk Assessment for the conterminous United States (i.e., all parts of the country except the states of Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S. territories.). All companies that wish to mix FSC-certified materials with non-certified forest materials, and are procuring these materials from forests within the assessed area (conterminous US), are required to use this risk assessment. The risk assessment will allow companies to determine if they are sourcing from regions that have been identified as having ‘specified risk’ (which is risk that is greater than ‘low’) of producing materials that fall into one of 5 categories:

1. Illegally harvested wood

2. Wood harvested in violation of traditional and human rights

3. Wood from forests in which high conservation values are threatened by management activities

4. Wood from forests being converted to plantations or non-forest use

5. Wood from forests in which genetically modified trees are planted

 

Where ‘specified risk’ has been identified in the above categories, the company is required to implement mitigation actions in order to ‘control’ the materials that come from these areas.

 

To develop the Controlled Wood National Risk Assessment, FSC US followed a procedure developed by FSC International which has now been used throughout the world. The topics identified for discussion at these Regional Meetings are those that are designated in the Controlled Wood National Risk Assessment as ‘specified risk.’ The topics at each meeting will be regionally specific and relevant to the identified important ecological values of the region. The topics at the Portland meeting on August 14 are associated with categories #3 & #4, and therefore, the remaining categories are all designated as ‘low risk’ for the Pacific Coast/Rocky Mountain region.

 

If you would like to review the Controlled Wood National Risk Assessment for the US itself to better understand the assessment process, it will be made available on the FSC US website.