Revised advice note "Maximum hectare threshold for very limited portion" has been published

FSC has published the second version of advice note ADVICE-20-007-23 "Maximum hectare threshold for very limited portion." The effective date remains October 1, 2023. 

The Advice Note 20-007-23 was developed in response to the Implementation Note to Motion 37/2021: Required Changes to the FSC Principles and Criteria to Implement the Policy to Address Conversion. This motion, approved by FSC members at the 9th FSC General Assembly, called for establishing a maximum hectare limit for the concept of a ‘very limited portion.’ The first version of this advice note was approved on July 13, 2023, and entered into force on October 1, 2023. 

In May 2024, the FSC opened a public consultation (from May 10 to June 26, 2024) to address concerns identified during the implementation phase and to gather feedback on how ‘conservation and social benefits’ can be produced by a conversion event. The main concerns regarding the first version were related to: 

• The option provided to the Standard Development Groups to change (increase or decrease) the maximum threshold of 1,000 hectares in the Forest Stewardship Standard, and 
• The retroactivity of the hectare threshold and the challenges this might have posed for certificate holders. 

Based on the feedback received (please read the synopsis report here), the second version includes the following changes to address the concerns mentioned above: 

• This Advice Note does not apply retroactively to any form of conversion prior to its effective date. This includes both conversion that has already taken place, as well as conversion that was planned and agreed upon through contracts or similar written commitments but has not yet been completed at the time of the advice note’s effective date.  
• Chamber balanced Standard Development Groups are now only allowed to set a lower hectare threshold following FSC requirements for standard setting processes. 

The advice note is compiled under FSC-DIR-20-007 Forest Management Evaluations.