Public consultation: Chinese forest certification system

4 March 2021 PEFC system news

Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the revised national forest certification system for China. Deadline for comments is 30 April. Give your feedback now!

The China Forest Certification Council (CFCC), the PEFC national member for China, revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard.

The revised China Forest Certification Scheme is also the first national system submitted to PEFC for endorsement that includes a Trees Outside Forests (TOF) standard. TOF certification was one of the innovative developments of the 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard.

After revising the national system in line with PEFC requirements, CFCC submitted the revised system to PEFC for endorsement. The national system is now undergoing the PEFC assessment process, carried out by an independent PEFC Registered Assessor. It must pass this process and be approved by the PEFC General Assembly before it can achieve endorsement.

An important aspect of the assessment process is the public consultation. Over the sixty-day consultation, stakeholders from around the world can give their comments and provide feedback on any aspect of the system. The Registered Assessor will use the information received from this consultation in their assessment of the system.

Need more information?

To provide you with additional information about this revised system and the new TOF standard, we held a webinar on 1 March at 8:00 CET. Watch the recording:

PEFC in China

CFCC joined the PEFC alliance in 2011, becoming the second national member in Asia after Malaysia. The Chinese national forest certification system achieved PEFC endorsement in 2014, and there are now over 1.2 million hectares of PEFC-certified forest area in the country. This is the second time the Chinese system has been submitted to PEFC for assessment.

Maintaining endorsement

For a national system to maintain its endorsement, it must meet a series of endorsement milestones. These milestones are linked to the national periodic review of the system and the sustainable forest management standard.

National systems go through a periodic review five years after their national approval (first endorsement milestone). The periodic review includes a gap analysis, public consultation and consideration of feedback received while the standard is in force.

National approval of the Chinese forest certification standard: 27 July 2019

Find out more about PEFC ensures national standards continue to meet expectations.