30 January 2001
Industry driven forestry certification won't fool market-certifies forestry practices not forests

Helsinki/Amsterdam - Greenpeace and the Finnish Nature League published Anything Goes? A Report on PEFC Certified Finnish Forestry today, which shows that Finnish forestry certification has not stopped the destructive logging of old-growth forests and other forests of high conservation value.

Fifteen per cent of the world paper and pulp supply comes from Finland. Germany, France, Belgium, United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands are the main importers of Finnish forest products and run the risk of becoming party to the destruction of these forests.

pdf file, 3.5 MB

Based on over 50 field investigations throughout Finland, the report reveals for the first time the stark reality behind the rhetoric of PEFC-certified Finnish forestry. The Anything Goes? report finds that PEFC-certification has not protected biodiversity in Finnish forests from the threat of industrial logging. The assessment procedures favour the forestry- sector over environmental interests. The ecological criteria of the certification process is insufficient and cannot even ensure that the criteria are fulfilled.

About 95 per cent of Finnish forests have been certified according to the Finnish Forest Certification System (FFCS), which has been adopted as part of the Pan-European Forest Certification (PEFC) scheme. According to the report, the PEFC-based Finnish certification system, dominated by forest industry, forestry authorities and forest owners, has not significantly changed forest management practices in Finland, and fails to meet the markets' demand for credible, independent guarantees that products come from sustainably managed forests. "PEFC-labelled products cannot be recommended to consumers. The certificate allows for the continued destruction of rare old-growth forests and habitats of threatened species," said Matti Liimatainen, forest campaigner for Greenpeace Nordic. The first shipment of PEFC labelled wood entered the environmentally sensitive Dutch market in November 2000 and is planned to be widely marketed by the Finnish Forest Industry throughout Europe.

"The forestry sector claims that the PEFC-certificate proves Finnish forests are managed sustainably. The stark reality is that Finnish forestry is far from responsible and does not justify such claims," added Sini Harkki, forest campaigner for the Finnish Nature League.

Less than five per cent of Finnish forests are old-growth, yet they are essential for maintaining forest biodiversity. Scientists report that the current forest protection network in Finland is not sufficient to preserve biodiversity and should be expanded. Despite this, the Anything Goes? report demonstrates that PEFC certification endorses destructive logging and further reduction of old-growth and other forests of high conservation value throughout Finland.

Download Anything Goes? A Report on PEFC Certified Finnish Forestry, pdf file (3.5 MB)
Download the two page factsheet (717k)
Visit the PEFC watch web site: www.pefcwatch.org