Non-Timber Forest Products Certification Standards Addendum
Guidance Notes
Role of NTFPs in the forest management system
Forests can be managed for many different objectives and products, including non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as gums, resins, fruits, nuts, medicinal herbs, fungi and weaving/construction materials.NTFPs encompass a broad range of products.Some NTFPs are internationally traded while others are critical subsistence resources in many rural economies.NTFPs may come from natural forests, forest plantations or agroforestry systems.NTFPs require special management and monitoring considerations in order to ensure the long-term viability of species and to minimize adverse social and ecological impacts.
NTFP harvest may produce fewer negative impacts on forest ecosystems than timber harvesting and can provide an array of social and economic benefits, particularly to community forest operations. NTFPs may maintain or enhance carbon sequestration, watershed and soil conservation functions in select forest systems.NTFPs have the potential to diversify income opportunities from forests and often yield income benefits in shorter time frames than timber. NTFP harvest and management is
present in most forest management systems worldwide, for both commercial and subsistence purposes.
NTFP certification
Since 1998, the Forest Stewardship Council has permitted certification of NTFP management systems on a case-by-case basis, and is now reviving the process to define a detailed policy.The first FSC-approved NTFP certification, granted by SmartWood to a chicle operation in Mexico, occurred in 1999. Since then, others have followed including: açaí (Euterpe oleracea), maple syrup, medicinal plants, forest tea (certified by Soil Association), and venison (certified by SGS). Many others are in process, including erva mate, pine nuts, cork, rubber and brazil nuts. Whilst SmartWood has been the NTFP certification leader, other FSC-certification bodies are beginning to incorporate NTFPs into their assessments, and are designing and implementing the required internal systems.
There are also several regional initiatives to develop certification standards for specific NTFP management systems. The Peruvian and Bolivian standards for brazil nut forest management have been endorsed by the FSC. Other regional standards specific to NTFPs may emerge with time.
How to use the NTFP Addendum
The purpose of the NTFP Addendum is to provide guidance for assessing the management of NTFPs according to the FSC Principles and Criteria in forest systems where timber harvesting is the primary management objective. Some timber operations will also harvest NTFP resources on a commercial scale within the management area under assessment. The NTFP Addendum is applied where a forest management operation (FMO) whose principal objective is timber desires to incorporate a commercially harvested NTFP resource into the scope of the certification. This can apply to NTFPs that are harvested by the FMO itself, or by third parties, as long as it is within the forest management area. The NTFP Addendum may be used during the main certification assessment of the FMO, or during an annual audit should the NTFP be incorporated after the FMO has already been certified.
The NTFP Addendum must always be used as a complement to SmartWood’s “Generic Guidelines for Assessing Forest Management” or FSC regional standards. The document “Performance Indicators and Verifiers by Plant Part” may be consulted for additional guidance on sustainability issues related to NTFP harvest and management. The NTFP Addendum should always be interpreted according to the scale and intensity of the operations.
At present, the NTFP Addendum deals solely with plants and their parts, including reproductive propagules, plant exudates and vegetative structures such as roots and bark. Systems for incorporating harvest and management of animals and animal derivatives will be considered in the future.
Main considerations:
NTFP Addendum is applied to NTFPs in FMOs where timber production is the main
management objective.
NTFP Addendum is applied to NTFPs which are commercially harvested (by the FMO
or third parties) and where the FMO requests for the NTFP to be incorporated into the
scope of the certification.
NTFP Addendum is always used in complement with SmartWood’s “Generic
Guidelines for Assessing Forest Management” orSmartWood or FSC endorsed regional
standards.