The History of FSC International and FSC Australia

1990

Meeting in California, USA of a group of timber users, traders and representatives of environmental and human-rights organisations who had identified the need for an honest and credible system for identifying well-managed forests as acceptable sources of forest products. This meeting concluded that this system would include a global consensus on what is meant by good forest management, independent audits of the management and a global umbrella organisation. It developed the name "Forest Stewardship Council" (FSC).

1990 to 1993

Intensive consultation processes in ten countries were held to determine whether there was widespread support for the proposal to develop a worldwide certification and accreditation system covering all kinds of natural forests and plantations.

March 1992

Washington D.C., USA. Interim FSC Board of Directors established.

October 1993

FSC Founding Assembly in Toronto, Canada with 130 participants from 26 countries.

April 1994

First FSC Executive Director appointed.

Summer 1994

FSC Secretariat Office was opened in Oaxaca, Mexico with three staff. The FSC Principles and Criteria, together with the Statutes for the FSC (now the By-Laws), were approved by the votes of the founding members.

February 1996

FSC was established as a legal entity in Mexico. The first accreditation contracts were signed with four certification bodies. The first wooden products appeared in UK with the FSC logo. The first FSC Working Group (UK) was endorsed by the FSC Board of Directors. Principle 10 for plantations was ratified by the FSC membership.

June 1996

First FSC General Assembly in Oaxaca.

January 1997

First FSC National Standard was endorsed for Sweden.

Mid 1998

10 million hectares certified to FSC standards.

November 1998

First FSC Annual Conference.

June 1999

Second FSC General Assembly in Oaxaca. The first FSC certified non-timber forest product (chicle-gum from Mexico). The first complete book printed on FSC-certified paper: "A living Wage" by Lawrence B. Glickman.

November 2000

Second FSC Annual Conference

December 2001

FSC receives the City of Göteborg International Environment Prize.

Spring 2002

Policies on Group Certification of Chain of Custody and Sampling for Multi-site Organisations developed. Board of Directors decision to establish the FSC International Center in Bonn, Germany.

April 2002

Forest Leadership Forum, Conference and Trade Fair in Atlanta, USA with about 1,350 visitors from 45 countries and 200 exhibitors.

November 2002

Third FSC General Assembly in Oaxaca.

January 2003

Re-location of the FSC Secretariat from Oaxaca, Mexico to the FSC International Center in Bonn, Germany with a staff of 25 people.

December 2005

Fourth FSC General Assembly in Manaus, Brazil. More than 300 FSC members attend. FSC members of the Global South are represented in unprecedented force and submit the majority of motions.

July 2006

FSC Project Certification Standard approved. FSC complies with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice which attests the credibility for setting international social and environmental standards.

FSC Australia registered as a company

October 2006

FSC Controlled Wood standards come into force. FSC Controlled Wood clarifies requirements for the non-certified part in FSC Mixed products and helps FSC Chain of Custody certified companies avoid unacceptable sources of wood.

November 2009

FSC Australia’s Public Fund registered, allowing tax-deductable donations to be made.