admineffective plantation forest management and aims to maintain and enhance the economic, social and environmental value of plantation forests, for the benefit of present and future generations.
According to SAZ, the standard addresses issues such as forest management planning, afforestation and reforestation; legal compliance requirements; conservation, protection and maintenance of soil and water resources as well as community and forestry workforce.
“ZWS 923:2012 will be particularly useful to the international timber products market as it will provide assurances regarding the quality and environmental impacts of plantation forest management gained through independent verification against the standard,” said SAZ director general, Ms Eve Gadzikwa.
“The standard sets out the requirements which plantation forest managers and certification bodies can use to certify plantation forest management in Zimbabwe.
“It will be utilised by plantation forest managers who are seeking independent third-party certification of their plantation forest management in response to market demands.
“It will also support and strengthen the framework of policy and regulation that delivers improved economic, social, environmental and cultural outcomes from well managed forests.”
Ms Gadzikwa said the certification standard was developed through an inclusive and transparent process which involved a balanced representation of stakeholders from the Zimbabwe forestry and environmental community.
“The certification standard is also designed to reflect the requirements of the two leading global forest certification schemes — the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC).
“It generally prescribes what must overall, be achieved but leaves it to the owner/manager to decide how best this can be done in each situation,” she said.
Scope of Standard
ZWS 923:2012 has been designed primarily for use in the certification of plantation forests in Zimbabwe by independent certification bodies to demonstrate that the forests are sustainably managed.
It may also be used in conjunction with ZWS ISO 14001: Environmental management system: Requirements and guidance for use to provide performance targets.
Full conformance with the certification standard is voluntary. However, an independent third-party evaluation by an accredited certification body is necessary to confirm conformance in order to obtain a certificate.
No plantation forest owner or manager is required by law or regulation to undergo such an audit.
However, it should be noted that some requirements of the certification standard are also required by law, and so must be complied by all plantation forest owners/managers. There are several environmental, financial and social benefits of implementing this standard which include amongst others, better prices for wood that originates from certified forests, access to certified wood markets and funding for business activities as well as protection of the environment.
This standard is available from the SAZ information centre in Harare, Mutare and Bulawayo.
Dr Donald Mlambo is the chairman of technical Committee QS4 : Forest Management systems.
Online Reporter