PRINCIPLE # 1: COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND FSC PRINCIPLES

Forest management shall respect all national and local laws of the country in which they occur, and international treaties and agreements to which the country is signatory, and comply with FSC Principles and Criteria/ It is a theme of prime essay https://primeessay.org/

1.1 Forest management shall respect all national and local laws and administrative requirements

1.1.a. Forest management plans and operations comply with all relevant federal, state, tribal, county and municipal laws, regulations, and other policies, including relevant court decisions.

1.1.b. Forest management plans and operations comply with all applicable laws and administrative requirements with respect to public information sharing, open records laws, and public participation procedures.

1.2 All applicable and legally prescribed fees, royalties, taxes and other charges shall be paid.

1.2.a. Taxes on forestland and timber, and other fees related to forest management, are paid in a timely manner and in accordance with relevant federal, state, tribal, county, and municipal laws.

1.3 In signatory countries, the provisions of all binding international agreements such as CITES, ILO Conventions, ITTA and Convention on Biological Diversity, shall be respected.

1.3.a. Forest owners or managers comply with all relevant provisions of treaties or other binding documents ratified by the U.S., including treaties with American Indian tribes.

1.4 Conflicts between laws, regulations and the FSC principles and criteria shall be evaluated for the purposes of certification on a case by case basis by the certifiers and all of the involved or affected parties.

1.4.a. Forest owners or managers agree that, in the event of a conflict between FSC Principles and Criteria and laws or regulations, they will follow a mutually-agreed upon dispute resolution process. This may involve referral to FSC-U.S.

1.5 Forest management areas should be protected from illegal harvesting, settlement, and other unauthorized activities.

1.5.a. Forest owners or managers implement explicit and demonstrable measures to prevent illegal and unauthorized activities on the ownership. Such efforts may include posting boundary notices, using gates, making periodic inspections, and reporting suspected illegal or unauthorized activities to the proper authorities.

1.6 Forest managers shall demonstrate a long-term commitment to adhere to the FSC principles and criteria.

1.6.a. After certification is granted, the management plan explicitly endorses all FSC principles and criteria and the regional standards.

1.6.b. Consistent with scale and intensity of management, the forest owners or managers advocate for sustainable forest management in public and professional arenas.

1.6.c. If non-compliance with FSC standards has lead to de-certification, then a new track record of compliance with FSC standards is established that satisfies certifiers regarding the owners long-term commitment to FSC principles and criteria.

1.6.d. Forest owners or managers notify the certifier of anticipated changes of ownership or provisions of the management plan.