GB/T 28951-2021Forest certification in China - Forest management (English PDF)

Foreword

This document is in accordance with the provisions of GB/T 1.1-2020 "Guidelines for Standardization Work Part

1.Structure and Drafting Rules of Standardization Documents" Drafting. This document replaces GB/T 28951-2012 "China Forest Certification Forest Management", compared with GB/T 28951-2012, the main technical The technical changes are as follows:

---Deleted the definitions of "forest certification" and "chain of custody" (see

2.2 of the.2012 edition), and added "trees outside the forest" Definition of "wood" (see 3.5);

---Modified the requirements for "ownership documents" (see 4.2.1.1, see

3.2.1 of the.2012 edition);

---Added the requirement of "purchasing accidental injury insurance for workers" (see 4.3.2.2);

---Modified the main content that should be included in the forest management plan (see 4.4.1.4, see

3.4.1.4 in the.2012 edition);

---Added the requirement of "development of forest health and ecological tourism" in the diversified management of forest areas (see 4.5.3.1);

--- Deleted the requirement that the relevant forest seedling production and management unit "shall hold a forest seed production license and a business license" (see

3.5.4.2 of the.2012 version);

--- Deleted "Before seedlings are allocated and sent out of the nursery, quality inspection shall be carried out according to relevant national or local standards, and the quality inspection "Inspection and quarantine certificate" requirements (see

3.5.4.3 of the.2012 edition);

1 Scope

China's national standard for forest management certification. It specifies the indicator system against which forest management is certified, covering legal obligations, forest tenure, the rights of local communities and workers, the forest management plan, the cultivation and utilisation of forest resources, biodiversity protection, environmental impact, forest protection, monitoring and record management, and inspection and improvement. Forest certification is a market mechanism doing the work of regulation. A buyer in Europe or North America who wants to know that the timber in a product was legally and sustainably produced cannot inspect the forest, so a third party audits the forest against a standard and the product carries the claim. The standard is therefore the thing being sold, and its credibility is the whole asset: a certification scheme whose standard is weak certifies nothing, and a scheme whose standard cannot be audited certifies nothing either. This document is the forest management standard of the Chinese scheme, and its structure follows the international pattern - a set of criteria, each broken into indicators that an auditor can verify against evidence in the forest and in the records. What makes it a national standard rather than a scheme document is that it has to be recognised abroad. The 2021 revision reflects that maturing. It deletes the definitions of forest certification and chain of custody, which belong to the other standards in the family, and adds a definition of trees outside the forest - the roadside, farm and urban plantings that supply a growing share of China's timber and that no forest management standard had a way to certify. A new normative annex sets the additional requirements for certifying them. Issued on 21 May 2021 and in force since 1 December 2021, it replaces GB/T 28951-2012.

This document specifies the requirements to be met by the certification of sustainable forest management. This document is applicable to the review and evaluation of the forest management system of the forest management unit by the forest certification agency.

2 Normative references

There are no normative references in this document.

3 Terms and definitions

The following terms and definitions apply to this document.

3.1 Forest management unit forestmanagementunit Operation with forest resources and their products as the main means of production, with clear boundaries, area, organization and financial systems, and with legal personality main body.

3.2 Localcommunity A social group formed by residents who live in or around the forest management unit and have an interest relationship with the forest.

3.3 Forest tenure The owners or users of forests, woods, and woodlands have the right to occupy, use, benefit from, and dispose of forests, woods, and woodlands in accordance with the law.

Note. Including the ownership and use rights of forests, trees, and woodland.

3.4 Stakeholder Groups or individuals that have direct or indirect interest in or are affected by forest management.

Note. Such as government departments, local communities, forestry workers, investors, environmental protection organizations, consumers and the general public.

3.5 Treeoutsideforests;TOF Trees that grow in areas other than forest land (agricultural land, urban or construction land, etc.). Note

1.Trees outside the forest generally include trees along railways and highways; farmland forest network; urban forest trees; forest trees in farmer's own land; villages, roadsides, etc. Trees by the water and the house. Note

2.Trees outside the forest can be divided into two types according to the scale of management. intensive management and extensive management. Note

3.Intensive management of trees outside the forest refers to a contiguous area of more than 10hm2 or a distribution line of more than 50km, and they grow in areas outside the forest. Trees; trees other than forests that are not intensively managed are extensively managed.

3.6 Chemical Chemical products such as fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and hormones used in forest management.