Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Controlled Wood Standards

Ghana is a major exporter of tropical wood but suffers increasing loss of forests annually. The European markets which are the major destinations for Ghana s wood exports are increasingly demanding wood from sustainably-managed forests; preferably independent third-party certified operations. Wood producers in Ghana, like many tropical countries, are however not yet able to supply certified wood. In order to promote sustainable forest management and facilitate the supply of wood to meet international demands, Ghana can take advantage of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Controlled Wood standards which help to assess the risks of procuring wood from uncertified yet responsibly- managed forest operations whilst avoiding five (5) environmentally and socially unacceptable categories. This study conducted based on the FSC Controlled Wood risk assessment criteria identified Ghana as a low risk area for one of the Controlled Wood categories and an area of unspecified risk for the other four Controlled Wood categories. These findings provide very useful information to companies which desire to buy sustainably produced wood from Ghana.