Public consultation: Portuguese forest certification system

7 July 2022 PEFC system news

Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the revised Portuguese Forest Certification System. Deadline for comments is 3 September. Give your feedback.

PEFC Portugal revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard.

See all system assessment details

The Portuguese system was submitted to PEFC after being revised in line with PEFC requirements. The national system is now undergoing the PEFC assessment process, carried out by an independent PEFC Registered Assessor. It must pass this assessment to maintain its PEFC 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 national system, we held a webinar on 5 July at 11:00 CEST. Watch the webinar recording:

PEFC in Portugal

PEFC Portugal was one of the founding PEFC national members, joining on 30 June 1999. Its national forest certification system was endorsed in 2004 and has been re-endorsed a further two times. There are currently around 300,000 hectares of PEFC-certified forest area in the country. 

Maintaining endorsements

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 Portuguese forest certification standard: 10 May 2022

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