Apply for Working Group and Consultative Forums to revise FSC’s Principles, Criteria and Indicators

Make a direct contribution to shaping the future of responsible forest management by applying to join the Working Group and Consultative Forums to revise the Principles and Criteria, International Generic Indicators, and other Forest Management documents. Apply from 15 October to 30 November 2025.

FSC is revising its core forest management standards - Principles & Criteria (P&C), International Generic Indicators (IGI), and other forest management normative documents (collectively referred to as PCI). This process aims to address emerging global challenges, provide more clarity, enhance streamlining and make FSC’s standards more outcome oriented and user focused.

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the future of responsible forest management. The next step in this major process is establishing the Working Group for drafting the revised PCI. FSC is publishing the Draft Terms of Reference which define the scope of work and composition of the Working Group. The Working Group will have decision-making responsibilities and will be supported by the experts, liaisons, facilitator, youth representative and FSC staff and Consultative Forums.

Get involved

Want to be part of this important work? Explore the structure of the working group and learn how you can get involved.

Working Group

The Working Group comprises six sub-chamber FSC members, equally representing the perspectives of the social, environmental and economic chambers of the FSC membership and southern and northern perspectives. Interested parties are encouraged to apply to take part in this ambitious task. For the selection of these six positions, FSC will consider candidates from a broad range of expertise and perspectives, with attention to gender, geographic diversity (North and South), and stakeholder representation, with relevant knowledge or professional experience in the fields applicable for the revision. The working group is tasked with providing input on the contents and revised PCI. To support equitable participation and attract the most qualified candidates FSC is offering the possibility of a stipend to acknowledge the time and commitment required. Please refer to the draft Terms of Reference for more details.  The final Terms of Reference will be approved at FSC’s 105th Board of Directors meeting in March. Additionally, a permanent group of three experts will participate alongside the Working Group members during all meetings, contributing to specific workstreams such as Indigenous Peoples, climate and biodiversity, and certification bodies.

Consultative Forums

To support the Working Group, five consultative forums will be formed to be consulted for input on specific topics throughout the revision. Consultative Forums will be formed by five groups of participants with expertise in specific workstreams/thematic topics including i) Indigenous Peoples, ii) Smallholders, iii) Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs), iv) Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs), ii), and v) Forest Managers. These Consultative Forums will be consulted for insights and input throughout the PCI revision and will include a total of 12-15 members in each Consultative Group. FSC may request information from the prospective Consultative Forum applicants to verify their competency and credentials.

How to Apply

Interested candidates can apply until 30 November 2025. FSC encourages individuals with diverse gender identities, cultural backgrounds, nationalities, and organizational experiences to apply for membership in our work group. Apply to join the Working Group and/or permanent Expert Group by filling out this form, and to join the Consultative Forums by filling out this form.

Revision Process Background

FSC is revising its core forest management standards as a joint revision process including:

• FSC-STD-01-001 FSC Principles and Criteria Forest Stewardship
• FSC-STD-60-004 International Generic Indicators
• FSC-POL-20-003 Policy on the Excision of Areas from the Scope of Certification
• FSC-DIR-20-007 FSC Directive on Forest Management Evaluations
• Forest Management Interpretations
• Interpretations of the normative framework for Forest Stewardship Standards

Learn More About the PCI Revision and Conceptual Phase

To learn more about the PCI revision process, please visit the dedicated website - PCI Hub - which offers resources such as webinar presentations, green papers on key topics, videos, reports, and more  

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at forestmanagement@fsc.org.