PEFC withdraws endorsement of Russian forest certification scheme

Russia’s national forest certification system has had its PEFC membership terminated because of non-payment of fees.

This means PEFC’s endorsement of Russia’s scheme – the Partnership on the Development of Forest Certification – has been suspended until a new membership is approved.

Sustainable forest management certification issued against the scheme is no longer recognised from March 22, but chain of custody certificates issued in Russia against the international chain of custody standard remain valid.

PEFC rules require an automatic exclusion of members that fail to pay their annual membership fee three months after the second reminder.

“Given the strong interest of Russian stakeholders in sustainable forest management and PEFC certification, PEFC expects this situation to be temporary,” said PEFC International.