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FSC "RELAXES" RULES? On February 22, the Environmental News Service reported that the Forest Stewardship Council, which prides itself on its isolation from pro-industry bias, "has relaxed some of its specifications for timber based products, following pressure from European participants in the program." ENS reports that action at a mid-February FSC board meeting at the organization's Oaxaca, Mexico headquarters reduced from 70% to 30% the minimum percentage of wood from FSC-certified forests required for chip and fiber products to bear the FSC label, although the 30% minimum "will be raised to 50% by 2005, and companies whose products bear the logo will have to develop an action plan for progressively increasing FSC content to meet this target." Other changes reportedly relax specifications for solid wood labeling "to remove bottlenecks and prevent prohibitive costs at sawmills." A member of FSC's United Kingdom working group explains that "certain industries have been finding it very hard to reach our standards." Back to "News" Forest Resources Association
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