FSC Certification

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing credible solutions for sustainable forest management. Globally, more than 200 million hectares of forest have been certified under FSC standards. Widely recognized as the world’s most rigorous forest certification system, FSC has earned strong support from non-governmental organizations, consumers, and businesses. Its standards address urgent challenges such as deforestation, climate change, and biodiversity loss. The FSC Forest Management Standard is built on 10 core principles covering environmental, social, and economic dimensions. Products bearing the FSC “little tree” label are independently verified by third-party certification bodies, ensuring that every step of the supply chain, from forest to consumer, meets sustainability criteria.

In Taiwan, over 98% of timber is imported, with at least one-third sourced from natural forests in tropical countries. To reduce dependence on tropical timber, Taiwan must strengthen the management and utilization of its domestic plantations to increase self-sufficiency.

The successful launch of plantation management and timber harvesting depends on earning public trust and support. Since 2018, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency has actively implemented the FSC certification system to improve the management of state-owned forests. Guided by the ten FSC principles, the Agency has sought to ensure that forestry production is carried out on a foundation of environmental sustainability. Efforts have included personnel training, management planning, reviews of operating procedures, and field-based implementation, while also respecting Indigenous cultures and rights, safeguarding workers’ rights, and taking stakeholder perspectives into account. These measures demonstrate that Taiwan’s state-owned forest management can balance economic, environmental, and social sustainability. In 2023, all state-owned forests under the jurisdiction of the Agency’s eight regional branches obtained FSC certification, covering approximately 1.6 million hectares - over 70% of the nation’s total forest area. 

The achievement of FSC certification for Taiwan’s state-owned forests marks the beginning of a new era in national forestry. Building on sustainable forest management, the Agency has launched multiple new strategies covering both timber and non-timber production. These include improving harvesting technologies and developing innovative applications for wood and bamboo, enhancing the value of raw materials and products, expanding understory economy and developing high-value uses of non-timber forest products, and strengthening domestic forest product supply chains. While working to increase the self-sufficiency of domestic timber, the Agency is also strengthening the labeling of legally sourced wood by developing the Taiwan Timber label and encouraging consumers to choose both Taiwan timber and FSC-certified products. Encouraging the use of legal and sustainably produced wood products to replace non-renewable or high-carbon-emission materials not only increases domestic self-sufficiency but also contributes to climate change mitigation, fulfilling Taiwan’s responsibility as a global citizen.