From pilot to practice: FSC Interim Forest Stewardship Standard approved for Hungary

The standard becomes effective on 1 May 2026, providing a nationally applicable framework that aligns Hungary’s forest management with FSC’s updated international requirements for sustainable forest management.

Hungary’s forests, covering over one-fifth of the country’s land area, play a vital role in biodiversity conservation, helping communities adapt to climate change, and supporting rural livelihoods. While forest cover has increased over recent decades and further expansion is planned through national afforestation efforts, achieving long-term sustainability depends on the consistent application of responsible forest management across different types of forest ownership.

The approval of the FSC Interim Forest Stewardship Standard (IFSS) for Hungary (FSC-STD-HUN-01-2025 EN) provides a single, nationally applicable framework that reflects FSC’s updated international sustainability requirements, helping forest managers move from sustainability commitments to actions they can apply and track.

The new IFSS strengthens forest protection in Hungary by reinforcing current actions to care for natural areas, including restrictions on large-scale tree cutting, and by reinforcing requirements for identifying and managing High Conservation Values (such as biodiversity, ecosystem services, or local communities). Clear rules to ensure laws are followed, forests are harvested responsibly, and materials are traceable from source to use also help reduce the risk of illegal logging and improve transparency in forest operations. In addition, the standard recognises the multiple values of forests beyond timber by including provisions for non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as mushrooms, berries, and medicinal plants, enabling Small and Low Intensity Managed Forests (SLIMFs)- typically managed by small-scale or low-impact forest owners, and other forest managers to access FSC certification and support diversified, sustainable livelihoods.

The IFSS for Hungary was developed in accordance with FSC-PRO-60-007 V1-2 and based on the International Generic Indicators (IGI V2-1), using the Minimal Adaptation of IGI Approach (an approach that adapts IGIs to the national context with minimal changes) as part of an FSC’s pilot initiative. The process was led by FSC’s Policy and Performance Unit (P&P) in collaboration with the Global Network Unit (GNU), with active involvement from the Certification Bodies operating in Hungary.

A key feature of the development process was the local-level field testing of the draft standard. Conducted by the Soil Association in cooperation with Zalaerdő Zrt., an existing FSC certificate holder, the field test in Zala County verified that the requirements were clear, practical, and workable under real forest management conditions. Feedback from the public consultation, stakeholder engagement, Certification Bodies, and field testing was systematically analyzed and incorporated into the final standard.

By combining FSC’s international requirements with local context and real-world application, the new IFSS provides a strong foundation for expanding responsible forest management and FSC certification in Hungary, supporting healthier forests, resilient communities, and sustainable forest-based value chains (from forest management to forest-based products).

The IFSS for Hungary (English version) is available in the FSC Document Centre. A Hungarian-language translation will be available in due course.

For any questions about the standard, please contact the FSC Country Requirements Programme via: country_requirements@fsc.org.