Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme

Dr Krishna Kumari, Forestry Faculty, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay College of Horticulture and Forestry, Dr Rajender Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar along with Supriya Rai, a third-year student pursuing BSc in Forestry at the same university, engage in a discussion regarding the objectives and benefits of the IFWCS.

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Could you please shed some light on IFWCS?

In December 2023, The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, launched the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS). This national forest certification scheme offers voluntary third-party certification designed to promote sustainable forest management and agroforestry in the country. The scheme includes forest management certification, tree outside forest management certification, and chain of custody certification. It is one of the major steps towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Amidst growing global concerns about deforestation and the illicit trade in timber, the Government of India has introduced its own national forest certification scheme. The IFWCS is an initiative that aims to validate entities committed to sustainable practices in forest management. The IFWCS can provide market incentives to various entities that adhere to responsible forest management and agroforestry practices in their operations. This includes state forest departments, individual farmers, or Farmer Producer Organizations engaged in agroforestry and farm forestry, as well as other wood-based industries in the value chain. The Forest Management certification is based on the Indian Forest Management Standard, consisting of eight criteria, 69 indicators and 254 verifiers, which is an integral part of the National Working Plan Code 2023, launched earlier. A separate Trees Outside Forests Standard, is now introduced as a part of the newly launched IFWCS.

Why do we need certifications such as IFWCS at national and international level?