Year of publication 2006

Evaluating certification schemes is a complex task. Basic requirements for any team working with this Guide include practice al knowledge and experience with forest certification, preferably including formal auditor training, plus in-depth knowledge of international systems for conformity assessment and certification. In addition, the task demands that teams exercise considerable professional judgment in applying this tool. The Guide essentially defines what an ideal certification system would include. Although no system for forest management certification is likely to fully meet all criteria, by using the certification target framework described in this document management teams can structure and analyze information on certification systems and schemes to reach a substantiated qualitative judgment about a given system. The approach for assessing a certification system or scheme is very similar to that used in forest certification, wherein auditors complete a checklist of indicators to assess whether the forest management system meets certain criteria. The Guide is designed to evaluate either stand-alone schemes or full systems. Some systems and frameworks endorse, recognize, and/or accredit individual schemes, such as the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) or the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).