Credible carbon trading schemes must recognise the carbon sink created by sustainable forest management, according to the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC) Council.
In an official position paper looking at the link between climate change and certification, the PEFC Council said that only sustainably managed forests should qualify for carbon credits or any other reward scheme for afforestation, reducing deforestation and increasing off-site carbon stocks in wood-based products.
This, it said, must be demonstrated through appropriate certification, as it is the only mechanism that allows third-party verification of sustainable forest management techniques.
“PEFC believes that any credibnle mechanism of carbon credit trading must recognise and reward the carbon sink created by forests managed in a sustainabnle manner as demonstrated through their independent credible certification,” the council’s paper states.
