Comparing Forest Management Certification Systems and the Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators

United States and eleven other countries with temperate and boreal forests to move towards sustainable forest management. Participants in the Montreal Process have developed an agreed-upon framework for determining the status of the condition of forests that includes seven criteria and sixty-seven indicators. It is hoped that by establishing a better understanding of these trends and conditions, policy makers and stakeholders will be able to make better-informed decisions about forest management. Another process, forest management certification, offers a distinct but related approach to sustainable forest management. Forest management certification is the process by which forest management practices are evaluated against a set of standards. It is a tool that benefits both landowners, in terms of market share, as well as consumers, who are assured that their purchase comes from a forest whose management meets certain standards. These two approaches to achieving sustainable forest management share several commonalities, including their voluntary approach, their commitment to data collection and reporting, their inclusion of the three key elements of sustainability – social