FSC MONITORING & EVALUATION SYSTEM

Gaining insight into the impacts of the FSC® scheme is crucial for learning and for improving our work. FSC reports publicly about the status and improvements of each certified forest operation. In addition, FSC invests in a monitoring & evaluation (M&E) program. This M&E program serves two main purposes.

1. Organizational learning: to provide information to better understand the effectiveness of the organization and its strategies, and to identify issues, trends and areas for improvement

FSC senior management and the Board of Directors can use this information for impact-oriented management FSC staff, FSC members and FSC expert panels (e.g. standard development working groups) can integrate

lessons learned from M&E into the development of FSC standards, policies and strategies.

2. Communication of outcomes and impacts: to provide information about FSC-related research findings FSC offers a platform for researchers and other partners for communicating research findings on the

out comes and impacts of the FSC system, and for networking on impact-related research topics and methodologies

The impact-related stories can incentivize other FSC stakeholders to actively engage in the FSC system and to promote responsible forest management.

To systematically monitor and evaluate ʻchangesʼ triggered by FSC, the M&E program established an M&E system. With this M&E system FSC aims to continuously capture the most important changes, i.e. developments of the management of the certified forests and of conditions for supply chain actors. In compliance with the requirements of the ISEAL ʻImpacts Codeʼ,1 the full M&E System Report spells out in detail the scope of the FSC M&E framework – for example, which indicators will be used to measure the change and improvements in forest management facilitated by FSC, and who in the FSC systems collects which type of data. Indicators are derived from FSC’s M&E framework: FSC’s Theory of Change, Intended Impacts and related indicators.

Many actors contribute information for the evaluation of FSC’s impacts. Public forest management certification reports are full of relevant information, and various FSC units, national offices and independent researchers (among others) collect pertinent information for impact evaluations. The M&E program in FSC’s quality assurance unit compiles and evaluates the information for regular reporting. FSC stakeholders have been and will be consulted in the process of building and using the M&E system.2

The other side of this document gives examples from the FSC M&E System Indicators with parameters, frequency of reporting and sources of data, related to FSC’s intended impacts. Some reporting can start with the introduction of an aligned, electronic reporting format for forest management certificates. For the full version please see the M&E System Report. FSC will report the first evaluation results in the second quarter of 2015.

Forest Stewardship Council®

FSC Internat ional Center GmbH · Char les-de-Gaul le-Strasse 5 · 53113 Bonn · GermanyPhone +49 (0) 228 367 66 0 · Fax +49 (0) 228 367 66 30 · fsc@fsc.org · www.fsc.org · FSC® F000100

January 2015

1 IS

EA

L A

llian

ce’s

Cod

e of

Goo

d P

ract

ice

for A

sses

sing

the

Impa

cts

of S

ocia

l and

Env

ironm

enta

l Sta

ndar

ds.

2 S

take

hold

er e

ngag

emen

t in

the

proc

ess

of d

evel

opin

g FS

C’s

“The

ory

of C

hang

e” (i

n 20

13) a

nd id

entif

ying

inte

nded

and

uni

nten

ded

effe

cts

of F

SC

(at t

he F

SC

Gen

eral

Ass

embl

y in

201

4).

3 In

dica

tors

we

are

aim

ing

tow

ard,

but

are

not

yet

ava

ilabl

e.

FSC

M&

E S

yste

m In

dica

tors

– E

xam

ples

from

the

M&

E S

yste

m R

epor

t of i

nten

ded

impa

cts,

par

amet

ers

for e

valu

atio

n, a

nd fr

eque

ncy

of re

porti

ng

ECO

NO

MIC

SO

CIA

L EN

VIR

ON

MEN

TAL

G

ENER

AL

1. F

ores

t man

agem

ent (

FM) o

pera

tions

ga

in m

arke

t adv

anta

ges

thro

ugh

cert

ifica

tion.

1a

. Num

ber (

no.)

and

area

of c

ertifi

ed

oper

atio

ns is

gro

win

g in

all

clim

ate

zone

s an

d re

gion

s, fo

r nat

ural

and

pl

anta

tion

fore

sts,

for a

ll ow

ners

hip

stru

ctur

es a

nd s

izes

of o

pera

tions

. N

o. o

f re-

certi

fied

oper

atio

ns in

crea

ses.

D

ata,

freq

uenc

y an

d sa

mpl

e:

N

o. a

nd a

rea

of c

ertifi

ed a

nd

re

-cer

tified

ope

ratio

ns. T

rend

s

from

pre

viou

s ye

ars

com

pare

d

to

cur

rent

. For

all

FM c

ertifi

cate

s,

an

nual

repo

rts.

2. H

arve

stin

g ac

tiviti

es a

re b

ased

on

the

prin

cipl

e of

sus

tain

ed y

ield

s:

ther

e is

a b

alan

ce o

f gro

wth

and

yi

elds

of s

peci

fic s

peci

es.

2a. A

spira

tiona

l3 : Th

e ac

tual

har

vest

of

eac

h sp

ecie

s do

es n

ot e

xcee

d

allo

wab

le h

arve

stin

g ra

tes

over

de

fined

tim

efra

mes

.

R

elat

ions

bet

wee

n an

nual

allo

wab

le a

nd a

ctua

l har

vest

rate

s; fo

r sel

ecte

d si

tes

with

coun

terfa

ctua

ls.

3. F

M o

pera

tions

gai

n in

crea

sed

com

pete

nce,

e.g

. in

plan

ning

, im

pact

as

sess

men

t & e

valu

atio

n, s

ilvic

ultu

re,

heal

th &

saf

ety,

mar

ketin

g.

3c. E

.g. C

orre

ctiv

e ac

tion

requ

est (

CA

R)

anal

yses

ove

r eco

nom

ic, s

ocia

l,

envi

ronm

enta

l crit

eria

sho

w

less

ons

lear

ned.

Fo

r all

FM c

ertifi

cate

hold

ers

annu

ally

.

4. F

M o

pera

tions

hav

e go

od a

nd fa

ir re

latio

ns w

ith in

dige

nous

and

oth

er

loca

l com

mun

ities

, and

mai

ntai

n or

en

hanc

e fa

ir a

cces

s to

res

ourc

es

and

econ

omic

ben

efits

. 4c

. Asp

iratio

nal:

No.

and

qua

lity

of

addi

tiona

l soc

ial s

ervi

ces

deliv

ered

by

FSC

-cer

tified

man

agem

ent.

Acc

ess

to

fore

st re

sour

ces

and

mec

hani

sms

for

shar

ing

bene

fits

are

perc

eive

d lo

cally

to

be

fair.

E

.g. N

o. a

nd a

rea

of c

ertifi

ed

op

erat

ions

with

sol

ved

CA

Rs

re

late

d to

lega

l iss

ues.

Rep

orts

on c

ase

stud

ies.

5. F

ores

t-de

pend

ent,

fore

st-m

anag

ing

cert

ified

com

mun

ities

impr

ove

thei

r liv

elih

oods

as

wel

l as

thei

r fo

rest

m

anag

emen

t and

mar

ketin

g sk

ills.

5b

. Asp

iratio

nal:

No.

of p

eopl

e ob

tain

ing

an in

com

e th

roug

h FS

C is

incr

easi

ng.

R

egul

ar in

terv

iew

s of

mem

bers

of

the

smal

lhol

der s

uppo

rt

an

d of

the

mod

ular

app

roac

h

(M

AP

) pro

gram

s.

6. F

M o

pera

tions

impr

ove

wor

kers

’ liv

ing

and

wor

king

con

ditio

ns,

espe

cial

ly w

ith r

espe

ct to

oc

cupa

tiona

l hea

lth a

nd s

afet

y.

6a. A

spira

tiona

l: N

o. o

f mal

e / f

emal

e fo

rest

wor

kers

(inc

l. co

ntra

ctor

s) tr

aine

d in

saf

e w

orki

ng te

chni

ques

incr

ease

s.

Fo

r all

MA

P ca

ndid

ates

, qua

litat

ive

case

stu

dies

for s

ome

larg

e-sc

ale

oper

atio

ns.

7. M

inim

ized

deg

rada

tion

of n

atur

al

fore

sts,

no

conv

ersi

on o

f for

ests

to

othe

r la

nd u

se in

cer

tified

are

as.

7a. A

rea

of c

ertifi

ed F

M o

pera

tions

m

anag

ing

natu

ral f

ores

ts in

crea

sing

.

M

inim

ized

deg

rada

tion

of fo

rest

s,

no

con

vers

ion

of n

atur

al fo

rest

s to

plan

tatio

ns a

nd o

ther

land

use

s:

A

rea

of n

atur

al fo

rest

s in

cer

tified

natu

ral,

plan

tatio

n an

d m

ixed

fore

sts

oper

atio

ns in

crea

ses.

A

spira

tiona

l: S

ampl

e si

tes

show

evid

ence

that

afte

r five

yea

rs

de

fined

prio

rity

area

s ar

e no

t

sign

ifica

ntly

deg

rade

d.

8. F

M o

pera

tions

mai

ntai

n or

enh

ance

bi

odiv

ersi

ty. H

igh

cons

erva

tion

valu

es (H

CV)

of f

ores

ts a

re id

entifi

ed

with

sta

keho

lder

inpu

t and

m

aint

aine

d or

enh

ance

d th

roug

h

appr

opri

ate

man

agem

ent.

8b

. Are

a of

HC

V c

lass

es, s

et a

side

s,

repr

esen

tativ

e sa

mpl

es c

ompa

red

to

entir

e ce

rtifie

d ar

ea is

mai

ntai

ned

or

gro

win

g.

A

nnua

l rep

orts

abo

ut s

uch

area

s.

9. F

M o

pera

tions

iden

tify

and

m

aint

ain

the

fore

sts’

man

ifold

ec

osys

tem

ser

vice

s fr

om fo

rest

soi

l, w

ater

, bio

dive

rsity

. 9b

. Asp

iratio

nal:

Are

as c

ertifi

ed a

s

man

aged

for e

cosy

stem

ser

vice

(ES

S)

prov

isio

n ar

e m

aint

aine

d or

incr

easi

ng.

E

.g. N

o. a

nd a

reas

of f

ores

ts

of

ferin

g ce

rtifie

d E

SS

.

Tren

ds, a

nnua

lly.

10. F

M o

pera

tions

dev

elop

str

ateg

ies

to d

iver

sify

thei

r po

rtfo

lio o

f for

est

prod

ucts

, and

man

age

a br

oad

po

rtfo

lio to

incr

ease

env

iron

men

tal

and

econ

omic

res

ilien

ce.

10a.

Asp

iratio

nal:

Por

tfolio

of p

rodu

cts

incl

. les

ser k

now

n tim

ber s

peci

es, n

on-

timbe

r for

est p

rodu

cts

and

ES

S o

ffere

d as

cer

tified

is m

aint

aine

d or

gro

win

g.

N

o. o

f suc

h pr

oduc

ts o

ffere

d pe

r

certi

fied

oper

atio

n. T

rend

s of

prod

uct r

ange

ove

r tim

e pe

r reg

ion

an

d op

erat

ion

type

. Ann

ual r

epor

ts.

11. L

egal

com

plia

nce

by F

M o

pera

tions

an

d ex

clus

ion

of il

lega

l act

iviti

es

with

in th

e fo

rest

man

agem

ent u

nits

. 11

c. N

o. a

nd q

ualit

y of

CA

Rs

issu

ed

and

impl

emen

ted

in re

latio

n to

crit

eria

ad

dres

sing

lega

l com

plia

nce,

ille

gal

activ

ities

.

E

.g. A

naly

sis

of C

AR

s re

late

d to

hum

an ri

ghts

, pro

tect

ed a

reas

, rar

e

spec

ies

with

in a

nd in

rela

tion

to th

e

certi

fied

oper

atio

n. A

nnua

l rep

orts

.

12. F

SC b

rings

toge

ther

div

erse

gro

ups

of

peo

ple

to c

raft

polic

y; w

ith lo

cal a

nd

inte

rnat

iona

l con

sist

ency

; em

pow

er

mar

gina

lized

sta

keho

lder

gro

ups.

12

c. E

.g. N

o. o

f FSC

mem

bers

per

cha

mbe

r an

d le

vel o

f FS

C a

war

enes

s gr

owin

g.

N

o. a

nd s

truct

ure

of m

embe

rshi

p;

st

atis

tics

abou

t pro

mpt

ed

re

cogn

ition

of “

FSC

,” us

ers

of

FS

C w

ebsi

tes.

Ann

ual r

epor

ting.

PRO

MO

TIO

N O

F R

ESPO

NSI

BLE

FO

RES

T M

AN

AG

EMEN

T: H

IGH

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E A

ND

INN

OVA

TIO

N –

SO

CIA

L, E

CO

NO

MIC

AN

D E

NVI

RO

NM

ENTA

L B

ENEF

ITS

ON

TH

E G

RO

UN

D

Photo credits: 2 - © Dairybelle