Impacts of forest management certification in Argentina and Chile

Individuals at ten firms in Argentina and Chile that had received Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Sistema Chileno de Certificacion Forestal (CERTFOR) forest management certification were interviewed to determine the management, environmental, social, and economic impacts of certification. All firms improved many practices in forest management, environmental protection, community relations, public affairs, economic, and environmental management systems in order to receive certification, with an average of 27 changes reported per firm that received forest certification. The amount of changes were fairly evenly distributed among forest management practices, social and legal aspects, and economic and system impacts. Most firms certified by FSC received several conditions or corrective action requests, but these represented only about one-third of the 27 changes those firms made to receive or maintain certification. Certification appeared to prompt similar changes in Argentina and Chile, and with FSC and CERTFOR. Certified firms usually hired only one or two new employees for certification, but did shift job responsibilities so that about 5% to 10% of personnel time was spent on certification. Individuals at interviewed firms were generally very satisfied with certification and all firms except one intended to re-certify. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.