History of FSC

Our mission is to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests.

Our vision is for healthy and resilient forests sustain life on earth. A new forest paradigm is realized, where the true value of forests is recognized and fully incorporated into society worldwide. FSC is the leading catalyst and defining force for improved forest management and market transformation, shifting the global forest trend towards sustainable use, conservation, restoration, and respect for all.

As forests come under increasing pressure, FSC is helping to ensure they are managed well, so they can continue to store carbon, protect wildlife, support livelihoods, and connect businesses to markets that reward responsible stewardship.

By growing the area of forests managed well under FSC certification, we are strengthening a model that protects biodiversity, supports people, and connects responsible forestry to markets that pay for good forest management.

In the past few years, FSC-certified forests has expanded from about 9 million hectares in 2020 to 11.2 million hectares by December 2025, helping more businesses tap into markets that reward responsible forest stewardship. Across Africa and the Middle East, FSC certification has also picked up steam, rising to 840 Chain of Custody (CoCs) in 2025 from more than 350 in 2021, with the Middle East accounting for 42 of the 89 new CoCs added last year

Timeline

1993–1995

1993: The FSC Founding Assembly in Toronto, Canada, uniting 130 delegates from 26 countries to lay down the foundational framework.
FSC Asociación Civil (AC) is established as a legal entity in Oaxaca, Mexico.
FSC United Kingdom becomes FSC’s first national office.
FSC publishes the FSC Principles & Criteria for responsible forest stewardship.

1996–1997

FSC holds its first General Assembly in Oaxaca, Mexico.
FSC endorses the first National Forest Stewardship Standard (NFSS) in Sweden.
The first FSC-labelled product, a wooden spatula, reaches the UK market.
FSC issues the first Forest Management and Chain of Custody certificates in Africa.
FSC introduces the High Conservation Value concept as a revised Principle 9 of the FSC Principles & Criteria
FSC issues the first Forest Management certificate in Malaysia

1998–1999

The first FSC-certified and labelled non-timber forest product, chicle gum from Mexico, reaches the market.
The first book is printed on FSC-certified paper.
FSC-certified forest area reaches 10 million hectares.
FSC holds its second General Assembly in Oaxaca, Mexico.

2000–2002

FSC becomes a founding member of the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling Alliance (ISEAL).
FSC’s Board approves its first Social Strategy.
FSC holds its third General Assembly in Oaxaca, Mexico.

2003–2004

FSC relocates its international secretariat from Oaxaca, Mexico, to Bonn, Germany.
FSC-certified forest area reaches 40 million hectares.
20,000 FSC-certified products are available on the market.
Standards for small and low-intensity managed forests (SLIMF) come into effect.

2005–2006

FSC holds its fourth General Assembly in Manaus, Brazil.
More than 10 million hectares of tropical forest are FSC-certified.
Public forests in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Slovenia achieve 100% FSC certification.
Accreditation (now Assurance) Services International (ASI) is established to manage FSC’s accreditation programme.
FSC establishes its first presence in Asia-Pacific with national offices in China and Japan.
The FSC Project Certification Standard is approved, and the FSC Controlled Wood standards come into effect.
FSC complies with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice.

2007–2008

FSC establishes Global Development to strengthen FSC markets and trademarks.
FSC-certified forest area surpasses 100 million hectares across 79 countries.
FSC holds its fifth General Assembly in Cape Town, South Africa.
FSC releases its standard for Sourcing Reclaimed Material

2009–2010

FSC publishes the first version of its hallmark Policy for Association banning unacceptable activities for all associated organizations.
FSC issues its 15,000th Chain of Custody certificate.
FSC celebrates its 1,000th Forest Management certificate in Portugal.
FSC-certified materials are used in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games venues.

2011–2012

FSC holds its sixth General Assembly in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
FSC opens regional offices in Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
FSC issues its 20,000th Chain of Custody certificate.
FSC-certified forest area reaches 150 million hectares.
FSC group certificates include almost 250,000 small and community producers.

2013–2014

FSC-certified forest area surpasses 180 million hectares worldwide.
The Permanent Indigenous Peoples’ Committee (PIPC) is established, bringing Indigenous perspectives into FSC’s highest levels of decision-making.
FSC holds its seventh General Assembly in Seville, Spain.

2015–2016

FSC publishes the International Generic Indicators to facilitate the harmonization of local Forest Stewardship Standards
FSC establishes its subregional network hub in the Republic of Congo, strengthening its presence in Central Africa.
FSC reaches 500 Promotional Licence Holders worldwide.
FSC certification reaches 7 million hectares of small and low-intensity managed forests (SLIMF).
The first forest management standard based on the new FSC Principles and Criteria (V5-1) approved by FSC is Portuguese.

2017–2018

FSC holds its eighth General Assembly in Vancouver, Canada.
FSC surpasses 10,000 Chain of Custody certificates in Asia Pacific.
The FSC Ecosystem Services Procedure is launched, creating incentives to protect and restore valuable ecosystem services in responsibly managed forests.
FSC launches the first Australian FSC National Forest Stewardship Standard

2019–2020

Italy becomes the first country in the world to achieve FSC verification across all five ecosystem services categories: carbon, biodiversity, water, soil, and recreation.
The FSC Indigenous Foundation (FSC-IF) is established to support Indigenous Peoples as drivers of change for their territories, development and rights.
FSC Core Labour Requirements, based on the principles of the International Labour Organization’s core conventions, are incorporated into FSC Chain of Custody standards.
FSC reaches 1,000 Promotional Licence Holders worldwide.

2021

Pirelli and BMW launch the world’s first FSC-certified tyre.
FSC-certified forest area surpasses 200 million hectares.
FSC surpasses 50,000 Chain of Custody certificates.
After extensive staff consultation, the FSC Network Policy is published to support FSC's global objectives by fostering a thriving network.

2022

FSC launches its Strategic Framework on Gender and Diversity.
The FSC Continuous Improvement Procedure (CIP) is approved, creating a stepwise pathway to certification that improves access for smallholders and other community forest managers
FSC introduces an updated Policy for Association, strengthening requirements for organizations associated with FSC.
FSC reaches 1,500 Promotional Licence Holders worldwide.
FSC introduces the Remedy Framework, establishing consistent requirements to address past environmental and social harms.
FSC holds its ninth General Assembly in Bali, Indonesia
1.8billion+ publications - Japan Post chooses FSC-certified paper for its iconic New Year's postcards.

2023

More than 2.4 million hectares of FSC-certified forests are verified for positive ecosystem services impacts. Revision of the ES Procedure began, which led to the addition of 2 new categories - cultural value and air quality.
FSC certification in Russia ends following measures introduced after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reducing FSC-certified forest area by approximately 60 million hectares.

2024

Chinese Taipei becomes the first in Asia-Pacific to achieve 100% FSC certification of its public forests, covering nearly 1.6 million hectares.
A landmark study published in Nature finds greater abundance of large mammals and critically endangered species, including gorillas and elephants, in FSC-certified tropical forests compared with non-certified forests.
Latin America surpasses 150,000 hectares certified through the Continuous Improvement Procedure.
FSC Aligned Certification for EUDR goes live, supporting certificate holders in meeting requirements under the European Union Deforestation Regulation.
FSC appoints its first Regional Director for North America. Asia-Pacific Region celebrates over 10 million hectares of FSC-certified
The world’s first certificate for the production of fresh medronho fruit and medronho brandy is Portuguese.

2025

The FSC Board of Directors approves FSC’s first Climate and Biodiversity Strategic Framework.
The FSC Board of Directors approves two normative processes to initiate work on FSC high-quality carbon credits and biodiversity credits
FSC surpasses 175 million hectares of forests certified and 65,000 Chain of Custody certificates worldwide.
FSC certification reaches 14.8 million hectares of small, low-intensity managed forests and community forests.
More than 250,000 FSC-certified products are listed through Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly programme in 14 countries.
FSC certification expands to shrubland ecosystems for the first time, with communities in northern Mexico certified for wild candelilla wax.
FSC holds its 10th General Assembly in Panama, where FSC and Panama’s Minister of Environment signed an agreement to promote sustainable forest management in state forests.
52% of global consumers recall seeing the FSC logo, a 5% increase since 2022.
The Asia-Pacific Regional Forest Stewardship Standard for Smallholders becomes an approved FSC standard, supporting smallholders across Indonesia, Vietnam, India, and Thailand.
FSC Portugal launches the first book telling stories about the impact of responsible forest management.
Afro-descendant communities in Colombia’s Medio Atrato region became the first in Colombia—and a pioneer in Latin America—to achieve FSC certification.

2026

FSC establishes its Africa Regional Office and Network Hub in Kenya.
Taan Forest becomes Canada’s first FSC Verified Impact project and one of the first globally verified for enhancing Indigenous cultural values.
FSC launches the Zámba Heritage Initiative, with ambitions to bring 30 million hectares under sustainable management by 2030 and restore 5 million hectares by 2036.
FSC Trademark Standards are aligned with the EU Empowering Consumers Directive (EmpCo).
FSC launches the Conservation Facility to advance certification and Verified Impact across at least 25 million hectares of high-value national parks and conservation areas.
FSC introduces the FSC QR label, allowing consumers to easily connect certified products with digital product and licence information.
147 Ecosystem Services projects were active in June 2026 in 31 countries spamming across over 5M HA