Sustainable Forestry

Introduction

Because more than six billion people rely on trees and plants to build houses, produce paper, make furniture and stay warm, the pressures on the world's forests are staggering. The Rainforest Alliance works to encourage better on-the-ground forestry practices by rewarding businesses, communities and governments that meet standards for sustainability.

Central to our efforts is independent third-party certification, which assures consumers that the wood products they purchase come from responsibly managed forests, where biodiversity is conserved and local communities are supported.

Our SmartWood team of forestry professionals scrutinizes the practices of forestry operations and awards certification to those that meet the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for responsible forestry. Since its founding in 1989, SmartWood has certified 3,186 operations and 138,695,923 acres (56,128,249 hectares) in 65 countries to FSC standards.

Read profiles of some of the operations that have been certified.

Connecting certified communities and businesses to buyers of forest products is another key component of the Rainforest Alliance's approach. We work to build sustainable livelihoods by helping certified communities and businesses to market their products effectively and increase technical capacity. By promoting green building and helping companies that purchase forest products to incorporate sustainability into their sourcing policies, we also work to strengthen the demand for certified products.