Headquartered in Bonn, Germany, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) sets international standards for forest certification and accredits third-party organizations, such as Smartwood or Scientific Certification Systems in the U.S to conduct the certifications.

Representatives from environmental and social groups, the timber trade and the forestry profession, indigenous people's organizations, responsible corporations, community forestry groups and forest product certification organizations from around the world work together to fulfill FSC’s mission to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world’s forests.

FSC was founded in the early 1990s by timber users, traders and representatives of environmental and human-rights organizations with the objective to create global consensus on sustainable forest management, independent audits of the management and a global umbrella organization.

The first forests were FSC certified in 1998, and the Chain-of-Custody principle, the process by which the source of a timber product is verified, was developed in 2002. Today, FSC is composed of three groups: the economic, environmental and social chambers, all of which meet regularly to assess and set international policies for forest certification.

INFORMATION ON CERTIFIED FORESTS SITE – ENDORSED BY FSC (UNEP-WCMC web site – UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM - World Conservation Monitoring Centre)
The United Nations Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) provides scientifically rigorous materials about the importance and value of biodiversity. Visit this site for regularly updated information about the status of FSC endorsed certified forests and has terrific global and regional maps.
http://www.certified-forests.org/index.htm

For a map highlighting the number and types of FSC certified areas in the world, visit:
United Nations Environment Programme > Critical Ecosystems > Habits > Forest > Datasets & Maps > Forest Management > Global Distribution Map
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/ffl/fis/fsc_small.htm

FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL (FSC)
Founded in 1993, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a global, non-profit organization that promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world’s forests through the process of forest certification. Check out this site to learn about FSC's mission, history, governance, and certification criteria.
Forest Stewardship Council > What if FSC? > About Us
http://www.fsc.org/en/about

For a summary of the first ten years of FSC’s work and its goals for the future, check out the brochure 1993-2003, 10 years of FSC: Looking to the Future.
Forest Stewardship Council > What’s New > FCS News > Annual Reports > 10 Years of FSC: 1993 - 2003
http://www.fsc.org/keepout/en/content_areas/29/22/files/
10_Years_of_FSC_brochure.pdf