FSC reflected in scientific and professional literature

3. Impact on forest policy: 3.5 Corporate social responsibility
3.5.1 The Russian forestry sector
Focused on Russia, Ptichnikov and Park (2005) summarize:
“The combination of these factors is creating a favorable external driving force for CSR
and certification in the Russian forest sector which is 70% oriented towards export, with
55% of those exports oriented to-wards the ecologically sensitive markets of the European
Union and North America. The Russian internal market, through some DIY outlets (IKEA,
Obi), also shows an interest in CSR products, but on a minor scale. Certification has become
a driving force of best practice in the Russian forest sector. Certification is:
a
b
c
d
e
f
Sector wide ((…) certified by FSC scheme – 12% of commercial forests)
Transparent (due to publicly available certification reports, three chamber equal weight
and stakeholder consultations)
Aimed at sharing governance (Government and corporate sector partnerships in
different areas)
Targeted at reducing inefficiencies (e.g. legislative barriers)
Implementing management systems and measures of productivity gains
Capturing market based benefits (trade in certified products, ethical investments).
The main environmental effect (of FSC certification in Russia) is the conservation and
enhancement of biodiversity. The main social improvement of certification under FSC is
the implementation of the health and safety guidelines at the site level. The main
economic improvement effected by certification under FSC is the enhancement of the
quality of forest management planning, including appropriate documentation, monitoring
and the verification of the long-term sustainability of the actual harvesting volume. (…)
Certification provides a significant boost for improving silvicultural operations in Russia, but
internationally acceptable CSR practice will only be achieved if this is combined with modern
policies and the improvement of legislation and governance. Investment in silvicultural
improvements is only reasonable where a responsible leaseholder has overall responsibility
for the complete forest management cycle.” 376
376 Ptichnikov, Andrei & Park, John (2005): ibid.
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