Since its inception nearly 15 years ago, environmental certification has become an important issue in the wood products industry. Certification was first introduced in the early 1990s to address concerns of tropical deforestation and forest degradation. Since that time, the scope of certification has expanded greatly to encompass both temperate and tropical forests across the globe. The overarching objective of certification is an attempt to address public concerns about perceived negative impacts of forest production activities on the natural environment. As a result, certification under a multitude of schemes or approaches has proliferated in developed and lesser-developed countries. In addition to being a potential tool for market access, certification is intended to improve environmental conditions resulting from forest management.

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