The webinar organized by FSC Ukraine was attended by more than 100 participants, including representatives of FSC-certified forestry and wood-processing enterprises, non-governmental organizations, state authorities, certification bodies, and scientific and educational institutions.
During the webinar, representatives of FSC Ukraine informed the participants about the expected update to the FSC certification regulatory framework and about new FSC instruments in the context of Ukraine’s EU integration.
The key speakers were Oksana Pavlishchuk, Associate Professor at the Educational and Research Institute of Forestry and Landscape-Park Management of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine and FSC Ukraine consultant; Yevhenii Khan, FSC Ukraine Manager; and Pavlo Kravets, FSC National Representative in Ukraine.
What is important for the certified Forestry Management Units (nadlisnytstva) of SFE “Forests of Ukraine”?
The process of revising the FSC principles, criteria and indicators, as well as other related elements of the normative framework for FSC certification
Each country has its own specific natural conditions and forest management system. To take this specificity into account, FSC standards are developed at the national level, based on international benchmarks – the principles, criteria and indicators.
However, the process of their development must be harmonized, clear, open and transparent for all stakeholders. Therefore, the foundational documents in the FSC certification system are periodically revised. The current stage of the revision process will run until 1 January 2027.
The FSC International General Assembly has defined three key orientations for the revision of the principles, criteria and indicators: streamlining and simplification, user orientation, result orientation.
What does this mean?
✔️ FSC-certified forest managers will be encouraged to carry out forest regeneration through close-to-nature forestry practices.
✔️ The indicators will become clear, verifiable requirements for compliance with the FSC principles, which can be checked at intermediate stages.
FSC risk assessment for Ukraine as an updated element of the normative framework for FSC certification in the context of EUDR requirements
As of 30 December 2025, the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will enter into force. It has been introduced to prevent raw materials that contribute to global deforestation from being placed on the EU market. Companies must demonstrate that their supply chains are not linked to illegal logging or forest degradation.
In this context, an updated risk assessment has been developed for Ukrainian FSC certificate holders – an analytical document that presents the results of assessing timber from unacceptable sources in Ukraine and recommends measures to mitigate the identified risks.
The FSC risk assessment document is based on indicators aligned with the EUDR. It contains the results of the risk assessment with differentiation of risk levels, takes into account various types of timber sources, defines measures to mitigate risks, and provides guidance on the information sources used as the basis for the risk evaluation.
It may be applied in practice not only by FSC certificate holders but also by public authorities, independent experts, certification bodies, local communities, non-governmental organizations and business sector representatives.