PEFC Certification

What is PEFC?

PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) is an independent third-party certification system that promotes sustainable forest management. The PEFC certification covers the entire forestry supply chain, from the origin of the raw wood material to the final product, and it is the most widely used forest management certification globally.

PEFC was established in 1999 to particularly address the certification needs of small and family forest owners. The aim of the PEFC certification is to ensure that forests remain viable for future generations and that the impacts of forestry on the environment are minimised.

In Finland, there are approximately 19.3 million hectares of PEFC-certified forests. The Finnish PEFC system meets the international forest management requirements of PEFC as well as the general certification requirements of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The certification requires regular audits and reporting to ensure that forest management remains sustainable.

Benefits of PEFC Certification

The PEFC certification ensures that forest management is sustainable and addresses contemporary environmental challenges. This means that forests are managed and harvested in a way that supports their biodiversity and regenerative capacity.

PEFC forest certification supports the UN's Sustainable Development Goals by setting requirements for the sustainable management and use of forests. Certification helps maintain the vitality of terrestrial ecosystems and ensures the sustainable utilization of natural resources. The certification protects forest biodiversity, promotes the preservation of carbon sinks, and enhances transparency in forest management. In this way, certification contributes to a balance between ecological, economic and social sustainability.

UPM Timber and PEFC Certification

Me At UPM Timber, we continuously monitor the origin of our timber. We use only sustainably and legally harvested wood from responsibly managed forests. We use a certified timber origin monitoring system and our timber sourcing is controlled. Our sawmills are both PEFC (PEFC/02-34-05) and FSC™ Chain of Custody (FSC C086359) certified.

Our wood comes from sustainably managed forests

We use a certified timber origin tracking system

100% produced in Finland

Both PEFC and FSC are forest management certification systems, but they differ slightly in their emphases and standards. All of UPM's owned forests in Finland, covering 522,000 hectares, are certified under both PEFC and FSC.

UPM Timber offers a wide range of PEFC-certified timber, meaning our products come from responsibly managed forests.