Forest Certification and Small Forest Enterprises
Key Trends and Impacts - Benefits and Barriers
By Rebecca Butterfield, Eric Hansen, Richard Fletcher, and Hanna Nikinmaa - Rainforest Alliance, Oregon State University, Oregon State University Extension, Savcor, Forest Trends View PublicationAs certification of forest management practices enters its second decade, questions have been raised regarding the impacts of forest certification and its future trajectory. While many of the concerns that led to the development of forest certification initially were focused on environmental issues, subsequent issues have emerged related to the social and economic impacts of forest certification. Among these are: concerns of inequalities in access to certification systems by small forest enterprises (SFEs); whether SFEs enjoy any benefits from certification; whether certification is affordable; and whether certification changes forestry practices.