Forestry Newspaper
Avoiding the harms of pesticides
FSC strives to identify the best feasible approach to reduce the use of chemical pesticides in FSC-certified forests and plantations, and to prevent, minimise and mitigate the related environmental and social impacts.
Pesticides strictly regulated
The use of pesticides and pest management in the forestry industry is a subject of widespread debate.
For FSC, having a clear pesticides policy, and keeping it up to date with changing global circumstances and new technologies, is essential.
In short, our pesticides policy outlines our commitment to ensure that:
- the use of highly hazardous pesticides (HHP) in FSC-certified forests is reduced and managed responsibly when there is no alternative
- the use of the most hazardous chemical pesticides is eliminated
The policy is reviewed regularly, and takes into account both global differences and social, environmental and economic needs via a procedure that is transparent and monitored.
Pesticides Policy
FSC-POL-30-001 V3-0 EN
The FSC Pesticides Policy lays out FSC’s position for managing the use of chemical pesticides in FSC-certified management units in consistency with Criterion 10.7 of FSC-STD-01-001 V5-2 FSC Principles and Criteria, which requires, inter alia, the use of integrated pest management.
Lists of highly hazardous pesticides
FSC-POL-30-001a EN
This addendum lists chemical pesticides that meet the indicators and thresholds set out in Annex 1 of FSC-POL-30-001 V3-0 FSC Pesticides Policy, and therefore are considered to be highly hazardous in the FSC system and classifies them as prohibited, highly restricted or restricted.
Alternatives database
It is part of FSC’s Pest Management Policy to support certificate holders to phase-out the use of HHPs. To do so, FSC has implemented a database in which interested stakeholders will find alternative strategies, practices and products that have previously been implemented by forest managers.
These alternatives have been selected following the 3Rs principle: Reduction, Replacement and Removal, with the ultimate objective of abandoning the use of HHPs.
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