FSC advances work to strengthen Sweden’s National Forest Stewardship Standard 

FSC International has approved the revision of the FSC National Forest Stewardship Standard of Sweden as part of ongoing efforts to ensure that national standards are clear, robust and aligned with the FSC Principles and Criteria, and reflect evolving legislation, practice and societal expectations.  

Sweden has been closely engaged with FSC since the early development of the system and was among the first countries to implement a national FSC Forest Management Standard in the 1990s. This long-standing engagement reflects Sweden’s important role in shaping responsible forest management and multi-stakeholder dialogue within FSC.  

Maintaining a credible and balanced certification system is fundamental to FSC’s mission to promote responsible forest management. Scrutiny, transparency, and open dialogue are central to that credibility.  

This revision is one component of FSC’s broader efforts to strengthen the effective functioning of certification in Sweden. Additional work is underway to assess current challenges and identify further measures where necessary. As part of the standard revision process, FSC is engaging with environmental organizations, Indigenous representatives, forest owners and forest companies, to address situations where tensions have arisen between national standards and the FSC Principles and Criteria.  

FSC is working to clarify current challenges and identify where adjustments, clarification, or strengthened guidance may be needed.  

Strengthening clarity and consistency  

The revision process began in February 2026 and is being conducted through three dedicated working groups focusing on:  

• High Conservation Value (HCV) identification and management, and considerations to rare and threatened species
• Consultation and engagement practices with Indigenous Peoples in forest management  
• Responsible forest management with economic viability 

The draft revised standard will be open for public consultation from early 2027. Following consultation, a final proposal will be submitted to FSC International, with publication of the revised Forest Stewardship Standard of Sweden planned for the end of 2028.  

“The revision is an important step to reinforce clarity, consistency and trust in the Swedish forest management standard. Our objective is to ensure that the standard remains robust, workable and aligned with both environmental safeguards and respect for social rights,” says Henrik von Stedingk, Forest and Standard Manager at FSC Sweden.  

FSC will continue to communicate transparently as this work progresses. 

Further information and updates on the revision process are available here: https://se.fsc.org/se-sv/regler/standardrevision-skog