New FSC Forest Stewardship Standard for France: more rigorous and adaptive

After four years of work, consultation and collective reflection, FSC France unveils its new Forest Stewardship Standard for metropolitan France, excluding overseas territories. This new standard strengthens the commitment to address climate, environmental, and social challenges. It will support French forest managers as they implement ever more sustainable and transparent forest management, while also aligning better with local conditions. The new standard will come into force on September 1, 2025.

In early 2021, FSC France launched an ambitious revision of its Forest Stewardship Standard, based on wide consultation and field-based feedback. The agreed new standard will come into force on September 1, 2025, with a transition period extending to December 31, 2026.

The revised standard reflects the significant climatic, ecological, and social changes reshaping forest management today, while also improving accessibility for small forest owners. It is designed to be more practical while maintaining alignment with FSC’s international Principles and Criteria and preserving the rigor that underpins FSC certification.

Three key issues

The revision focused on key elements important for metropolitan France:

1. Adapting forest practices – To better account for the impacts of climate change on forests and biodiversity.
2. Strengthening the oversight of “intensive” forest practices – To clarify and reinforce indicators related to socially sensitive practices such as clearcutting, pesticide use, soil protection, and harvesting of logging residues, all critical topics for foresters and society.
3. Improving access to FSC certification – To enhance the cost-benefit balance and adjust implementation methods to make certification more accessible, especially for owners of smaller forests.

These priorities were expanded following feedback during public consultation to include issues such as biodiversity protection, monitoring of forestry practices, and the safety of forest workers.

Concrete and measurable improvements

The revised French Forest Stewardship Standard meets 9 of FSC’s 10 global Principles (excluding Principle 3 on Indigenous Peoples, which is not applicable). It includes 64 criteria and more than 240 indicators, adapted to the realities of French forests. Almost half of these indicators have been revised or newly introduced, resulting in 12 major areas of improvement:

1. Mandatory climate vulnerability assessments to adapt management plans.
2. Promotion of species diversity, particularly when planting exotic species.
3. Assessment of the risk of forest fires and implementation of adapted prevention measures.
4. Stricter clearcutting rules: maximum area reduced to 5 hectares in a single block, with strictly defined exceptions.
5. Complete ban on chemical pesticides in forests.
6. Stronger requirements for soil protection (mandatory skid trails, limited soil work, limited harvesting of residues).
7. Simplified implementation for small (<20 ha) and very small (<4 ha) forests, while maintaining high standards.
8. Double set aside area devoted to natural evolution within the 10% Conservation Area Network for biodiversity conservation or restoration, and better identification and protection of riparian forests and High Conservation Values.
9. Increased the number of trees that have to be left untouched to provide important habitat from 2 to 5 per hectare.
10. Clearer guidance on actions to restore balance between forestry and hunting
11. Mandatory monitoring indicators for all foresters managing certified forests.
12. Clearer requirements on safety compliance for external forest operators.

Guillaume Dahringer, Technical Director of FSC France, who led this revision, summarized the outcome: ”We have developed a standard that is demanding, credible, and firmly rooted in local realities. It also responds to a societal need: to restore a constructive dialogue around forest practices, for the benefit of all those who live in, work in, or care about forests."

By raising expectations regarding the preservation of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services, the new Forest Stewardship Standard for France aims to strengthen forests’ ability to adapt to climate changes – a key condition for maintaining the capacity of forests for long-term wood production as well as their ecological and economic value.
 

To learn more about the standard revision process, watch this video from FSC France: click here

Support tools available soon

To support forest managers and stakeholders in the implementation of the new requirements, FSC France will progressively release a range of support materials – including guides, FAQs, and webinars – starting in the second half of 2025. These resources will be designed to improve the user experience and ensure that the new standard is clear, accessible, and easy to implement in the field.

For any queries on the standard, please contact Guillaume Dahringer, FSC France Technical Director: g.dahringer@fr.fsc.org.

The FSS for France (English version) can be consulted in the FSC Document Center. A translated (into French) version is now available on the FSC France website. Visit FSC France’s FSS page for more related news.