Conformity assessment of UFCS against PEFC (2010).pdf - ITS Global

Evaluation and assessment of Uruguayan Forest Certification scheme against the requirements of the PEFC Council
4. Assessment of the Implementation of the UFCS against PEFCC
Requirements
Performance requirements for the UFCS are detailed in PEFC Uruguay system documents (SD01
to SD09) and GD02.
The UFCS provide for:
• Individual Forest Certification for a person or legal entity (organisation) acting as
Applicant Entity for forest areas that the applicant manages and voluntarily seeks to
include in the certification process; and
• Group Forest Certification for forest managers who form a group through a legally
constituted Association which is designated as the Applicant Entity. The UFCS also
provides for forest managers to be grouped through a legally documented agreement
with designated person(s) acting as an Applicant Entity.
The requirements for Group Forest Certification are detailed in document SD07. The
requirements for Individual Forest Certification are specified in Document GD02 (Section 5.1).
The implementation of the UFCS requires the Applicant Entity applying for Forest Management
Certification to construct a Forest Management System (referred to as SD03, Section 5.4). The
Forest Management System should detail the policies, organisational structure and processes
the Applicant Entity is implementing in forests and/or chain of custody to demonstrate
compliance with requirements of the UFCS.
The Forest Management System also incorporates a requirement for General Plan of
Management for forest management units undertaking certification. The General Plan of
Management must be constructed consistent with the concept of Sustainable Forest
Management, “seeking a balance between the conservation of the natural resources, historiccultural
and socio-economic aspects, productivity (technical, economic and financial) and the
general society’s well being”. UFCS documentation details the economic, social and
environmental goals to be addressed in General Plan of Management. (Refer to GD13, Section
4).
The standard (Norm) for sustainable forest management under the UFCS is UNIT 1152: 2009
(refer to GD13)(Sustainable Forest Management. Criteria and Indicators) and supported by UNIT
1151: 2009 (Sustainable Forest Management. Glossary of Terms) (referred to GD12). These were
approved by PEFC Uruguay General Assembly on 18 December 2009. The Norm UNIT 1152: 2009
is based on the Montreal Process (“Criteria and indicators for the conservation and sustainable
management of temperate and boreal forests”), the National (Uruguayan) Code of Good
Forestry Practices (2004) and other Uruguayan legislative and regulatory requirements for
conducting forestry activities.
The forest management standards (UNIT 1151: 2009 and UNIT 1152: 2009) utilize the seven
criteria of the Montreal Process to state the outcomes required to demonstrate sustainable
forest management for Uruguayan plantation forests. For each Montreal Process criterion the
standard for sustainable forest management for the UFCS (UNIT 1152: 2009) specifies indicators
– variables which are monitored – to provide evidence of attaining the outcome targeted by
criterion. Success in delivering each indicator is evaluated by evidence produced by
justification statements (i.e. outlines the importance of the relevant indicator); objective (i.e.
output the forest manager is expected to deliver to demonstrate compliance with the
indicator); parameters (i.e. framework of variables to be monitored); procedure (i.e. specific
actions to implement parameters); documents (i.e. information and records to verify actions);
and register (i.e. evaluation from monitoring of parameters that analyse and track degree of
compliance in attaining objective and indicator).
The UFCS utilizes PEFCC requirements for chain of custody certification as detailed in Annex 4
(Chain of Custody of Forest Based Products – Requirements).
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