From:  http://www.fscoax.org/

An Overview of the Forest Stewardship Council

Voluntary forest certification was born in response to consumer concern about deforestation, logging practices and public relations claims of sustainability. The goals of certification are to improve forest management with regionally defined standards, and to ensure market access for certified forest products.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international non-profit organization that was founded in 1993 to support environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests.

It is an association of members consisting of a diverse group of representatives from environmental and social groups, the timber trade, the forestry profession, indigenous people's organizations, community forestry groups and forest product certification organizations from around the world. Membership is open to all who are involved in forestry or forest products and share the FSC's aims and objectives. For information about becoming an FSC member, see the Guide to Application for FSC membership below.

FSC-International is run on a day-to-day basis from the Head Office in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico, by an Executive Director and a small complement of program and administrative staff. It is controlled by an elected Board of Directors comprised of representatives from industry, environmental groups, and indigenous people's organizations, among others.

Please Note: The abbreviations FSC, FSC–Oaxaca, and FSC-AC are used interchangeably to refer to FSC-International.

FSC operates an international labeling program for forest products which provides a credible guarantee that the product comes from a well-managed forest. All forest products carrying the logo of the FSC have been independently certified as coming from forests that meet the internationally recognized FSC Principles and Criteria of Forest Stewardship.

In this way FSC provides an incentive in the marketplace for good forest stewardship. The forest inspections are carried out by FSC-accredited certification bodies, which are evaluated and monitored to ensure their competence and credibility.

The FSC also supports the development of national and regional standards that implement the international Principles and Criteria of Forest Stewardship at the local level. These standards are developed by national and regional working groups that work to achieve consensus amongst the wide range of people and organizations involved in forest management and conservation in each part of the world. To guide working groups in this process, FSC has developed Guidelines for developing regional certification standards.