The Forestry Commission has received certification from the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes.
The commission has now adopted dual certification for the management of its 750,000ha of forest and woodland with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
A spokesperson said sellers of timber and other forest products supplied directly from Forestry Commission forests have the option of displaying the logo of PEFC or FSC to provide an assurance the products originate from well managed forests.
The commission, which produces 5 million tonnes of timber a year, became the first state forest service in the world to achieve FSC certification for all its forest holdings in 1999.
Richard Howe, the commission’s certification and standards adviser, said: “FSC certification has served us well for 11 years and we shall continue to use it.
“In common with other enterprises selling timber across Europe we are aware that a number of buyers are looking for PEFC certification and in some cases both PEFC and FSC. This is particularly so in the case of overseas buyers of UK timber.”
He added: “Both schemes use the UK Woodland Assurance Standard as the basis for certification in the UK and both are recognised by the government’s Central Point of Expertise on Timber.”
