Dual FSC® and PEFC certification in Forest Management for forest owners
Irish Forest Owners is offering dual FSC® and PEFC certification in Forest Management to forest owners in the Irish Forest Owners producer group network in the Republic of Ireland.
Forest Certification is a system that verifies forests are managed to the highest international social, economic and environmental standards, leading to a certificate issued by a recognised independent party.
Two international Certification Schemes operate in Ireland at present:
A number of forest owners join together and make a single Forest Certification application, taking advantage of economies of scale and the opportunity to build knowledge.
Group certification is a more affordable scheme to achieve internationally recognised standards in Forest Management. Certification provides access to wider markets and a premium price for certified timber may be negotiated. Forest management certification may also be beneficial for verifying forests for future payments for carbon sequestration and ecosystem service payment.
Produces a Forest Management Plan of certification standard at the request of the forest owner
Holds the group certification and represents the group members during the period of validity of the certificate
The forests listed here have been independently evaluated by an external Certification Body, The Soil Association, and have been awarded certification in Forest Management for both Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
An important part of forest management planning and forest certification is ensuring that stakeholders have an opportunity to provide feedback on forest management activities, including the identification and maintenance of High Conservation Values. This is undertaken as part of the consultation process associated with forest management planning.
Stakeholder consultation and engagement activities are undertaken in a manner proportionate to the scale, intensity and risk of management activities and in accordance with the requirements of the FSC® Interim Forest Stewardship Standard for Ireland for Small and Low Intensity Managed Forests (SLIMF).
As part of the annual certification audit process, the certification body undertake stakeholder consultation relating to members of the IFO Group Certification Scheme in advance of surveillance or reassessment audits. Most recently, Soil Association Certification carried out a stakeholder consultation for members of the IFO Group Certification Scheme from 19th November 2025 until 19th December 2025 prior to the January 2026 Surveillance Audit. This will be undertaken again prior to the 2027 Surveillance Audit.
The Group Entity undertakes stakeholder consultation on forest management through a variety of means:
Stakeholders may also contact IFO through the contact form below.
Further detail on group certification in Ireland is available at www.groupcertification.ie, where a full forest management manual is available for download (https://www.groupcertification.ie/resources/forest-management-manual).
FSC® Forest Management Certification
https://connect.fsc.org/certification/forest-management-certification
PEFC Forest Management Certification