FSC and ASI launch study into High Conservation Values maintenance in Sweden

FSC and Assurance Services International (ASI) launched an action plan to address integrity concerns in Sweden. These concerns have emerged through complaints, incident reports, and engagement with stakeholders. As part of this effort, FSC has commissioned ASI to assess how the FSC Controlled Wood system is performing in Sweden. The study will run from May 2026 until October 2026.  

Previous assessments by FSC and ASI, together with cases raised by stakeholders, indicate that some wood may have been sourced from forests later identified as having high conservation values. The number and persistence of these cases over several years point to the need for a broader, more systematic review. 

The study will examine how FSC’s requirements are applied in practice and whether certification mechanisms are working as intended across the Swedish forestry sector. As part of this activity, ASI will request information from certification bodies and Controlled Wood certificate holders in Sweden, focusing on how risk mitigation or control measures are applied to avoid sourcing wood from forests with high conservation values.  

In addition, ASI will engage with multiple stakeholders including experts, certificate holders and certification bodies, to better understand how Controlled Wood requirements are interpreted on the ground, where challenges arise, and whether current approaches achieve the intended level of protection. 

Alongside this Controlled Wood systemic review, ASI will also evaluate the effectiveness of methodologies applied for the identification and management of high conservation values under the FSC Forest Management standard for Sweden. This will include a comparative analysis of how these protections are implemented within FSC Forest Management in Sweden.  

This work forms part of FSC’s broader efforts to strengthen forest certification in Sweden. In March 2026, FSC International approved the start of a revision of Sweden’s National Forest Stewardship Standard, aimed at reinforcing clarity, consistency, and alignment with the FSC Principles and Criteria. The revision process focuses, among other areas, on High Conservation Value identification, engagement with Indigenous Peoples, and the practical application of requirements in forest management.  

More information on the standard revision process is available here.