Public Consultations on FSC Risk Assessment for Ukrainian Timber

NGO "Forest Initiatives and Communities" (ForestCom) has completed an important step towards developing the National Risk Assessment (NRA) for FSC Controlled Wood in Ukraine – public consultations! This process is essential for ensuring the improvement of a transparent and responsible forest management voluntary system in Ukraine.

What is NRA and why is it important?

The NRA is a tool that helps identify risks associated with sourcing timber from unacceptable sources, such as illegal logging or violations of workers' and community rights, and other important aspects. Thanks to the NRA, organizations using timber can be confident that their products do not contribute to the destruction of forest ecosystems and human rights abuses. The development of the NRA is in accordance with international FSC standards and the laws of Ukraine and the EU, including requirements for combating deforestation and forest degradation.

How did the consultations go?

In December 2024 – January 2025, we invited all stakeholders – from government and business representatives to foresters, scientists, and environmentalists – to express their opinions on the developed by ForestCom NRA draft. We received 85 comments from 12 different stakeholders!

To ensure a broad discussion, we organized two information seminars:

• For FSC experts, certification bodies, and representatives of the State Forest Resources Agency.

• For the general public, which 155 participants registered for!

The targeted stakeholders included 7 representatives from central government agencies (the Verkhovna Rada, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, and the State Forest Resources Agency); 10 representatives from forestry enterprises; 27 from the timber processing industry; 20 from educational institutions (universities, forestry colleges, etc.); and 10 from forest-related research institutions. The non-governmental organization sector was represented by 15 individuals, encompassing organizations focused on environmental and social issues, as well as labor unions and employee associations. The stakeholder group also comprised 8 representatives from certification bodies, 4 representatives from the FSC system, 2 media representatives, and 3 representatives from international aid projects.

What's next?

Our ForestCom expert team has carefully reviewed each comment. Based on this review, we've revised the draft standard, incorporating the majority of your comments and suggestions. In particular, as a result of the review of comments and suggestions, the risks were raised to a significant level for three indicators. This demonstrates that active stakeholder input has a real impact on how Ukrainian forests will be protected and sustainably managed in the future!

The improved document has now been submitted to the FSC International Center for further review.

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For those who were involved in the consultations and who want to know more about how specific suggestions were addressed

A report on the public consultations (in Ukrainian), including all comments and our responses, is available at the following link.

Thank you for your contribution!

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More about the project:

https://forestcom.org.ua/en/project/fsc-risk-assessment-ukraine