Nowadays, timber harvesting is increasingly focused on sustainability. A good sustainability label ensures that the wooden posts and beams are sourced from responsibly managed forests. Sustainable forest management means that economic, ecological, and social functions fulfilled by the forest are taken into account. This means not only looking at the forest itself but also paying attention to the people and animals that depend on it.
How exactly does this work? Forest management certification allows forest owners to demonstrate that they manage their forest sustainably according to the rules and requirements of a sustainability label. Certified timber can then be harvested from a certified forest. Certified companies further down the chain (the so-called Chain of Custody) can then process the labelled timber into the final product and market it. The timber can only be sold with the label if all companies in the chain are certified and operate according to the rules of the label.
The 2 most well-known sustainability certifications are PEFC and FSC®. Van Biezen Hout Import is in possession of both the FSC-certification and the PEFC-certification for wooden posts and wooden beams. FSC® stands for Forest Stewardship Council® and PEFC stands for Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes. Both organisations set their own standards and rules that sustainable forest management must meet. Thus, both organisations have their own standards and do not interpret every situation exactly the same. However, both encourage responsible forest management and contribute to the protection of forests worldwide. All wooden posts and wooden beams that we supply bearing the FSC®-certification or the PEFC-certification are therefore sourced from sustainably managed forests.
More information on the PEFC label can be found at www.pefcnederland.nl.
