After reviewing hundreds of companies trading FSC-certified birch wood panels across Eurasia, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) says it found no evidence that Russian-origin birch entered certified supply chains after the organisation suspended certification activities in Russia in April 2022.<\/p>\n
The conclusion follows one of the largest transaction verification exercises carried out under FSC's Eurasia Integrity Workplan. Together with Assurance Services International (ASI), FSC analysed transaction records from 665 certificate holders<\/strong> involved in the trade of FSC-certified birch wood panels during 2023.<\/p>\n For companies sourcing birch products, the findings provide some reassurance. For certification bodies, they also expose weaknesses that extend well beyond the question of Russian timber.<\/p>\n Russian wood remains in the chain\u2014but legally<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the most sensitive questions since FSC withdrew from Russia has been whether certified Russian birch continued entering international supply chains through intermediary countries.<\/p>\n According to the investigation, that did not occur.<\/p>\n FSC said it found no evidence that certificate holders purchased timber from former Russian FSC certificate holders after April 2022<\/strong>. However, investigators confirmed that Russian-origin material harvested and certified before the suspension continued moving through downstream supply chains during the following months and, in some cases, longer.<\/p>\n Because that material entered the market before FSC's withdrawal, its presence does not constitute a breach of FSC requirements.<\/p>\n The distinction is likely to remain important for buyers facing increased scrutiny over timber origin, particularly in Europe, where sanctions and due diligence requirements have fundamentally changed procurement practices.<\/p>\n Data quality emerges as a bigger concern<\/strong><\/p>\n Although the investigation did not uncover post-sanction Russian timber, it identified weaknesses in transaction reporting that make supply chains considerably harder to verify.<\/p>\n Several companies described material simply as \"hardwood\" or \"softwood\" instead of identifying individual species, while others omitted species information altogether or submitted incorrect data.<\/p>\n Those shortcomings complicated transaction verification and increased the risk that discrepancies between available fibre resources and reported sales could remain undetected.<\/p>\n FSC also identified operational weaknesses inside certified companies. Staff turnover, limited understanding of certification requirements and simple administrative errors all contributed to inaccurate transaction data and, in some cases, incorrect FSC claims.<\/p>\n While many of these issues appear procedural rather than deliberate, FSC said companies suspected of making false claims or engaging in fraudulent behaviour remain under investigation and could face sanctions.<\/p>\n Traceability remains vulnerable<\/strong><\/p>\n The investigation also highlighted methods used to weaken supply chain transparency.<\/p>\n According to FSC, several certificate holders voluntarily terminated their certification shortly after the transaction verification programme began, preventing investigators from obtaining complete transaction records.<\/p>\n In other cases, traceability documents were allegedly falsified, allowing non-conforming products to move through certified supply chains.<\/p>\n Those findings mirror conclusions published earlier this year following FSC's investigation into Eurasian birch plywood supply chains, which resulted in eight companies being blocked<\/strong> from the FSC system after integrity concerns were identified.<\/p>\n Rather than treating the latest investigation as a standalone exercise, FSC says both reviews reveal common vulnerabilities affecting high-risk hardwood supply chains.<\/p>\n Stronger controls already underway<\/strong><\/p>\n The organisation has already introduced several changes designed to strengthen oversight.<\/p>\n Annual surveillance audits are now mandatory for certificate holders in mainland China trading solid wood, veneer, wood panels and bamboo products, eliminating the previous possibility of waiving surveillance audits.<\/p>\n FSC has also added a new feature to its public database identifying certificate holders that reported \"No FSC Sales\"<\/strong>, allowing customers and certification bodies to compare those declarations with actual commercial activity and identify potential inconsistencies more quickly.<\/p>\n The findings are also feeding into broader revisions of FSC's certification framework, including new risk-based controls and expanded traceability requirements for high-risk species.<\/p>\n Birch remains one of FSC's highest-risk products<\/strong><\/p>\n The Eurasia Integrity Workplan reflects the changing geography of the birch trade following Russia's exclusion from the FSC system.<\/p>\n Certified birch products are now sourced primarily from Eastern Europe and China, while intermediary trading hubs including Latvia, T\u00fcrkiye, Kazakhstan and China<\/strong> have become increasingly important in international supply chains.<\/p>\n With Russian certification no longer available and demand for birch plywood remaining strong, FSC considers birch one of the highest-risk product groups within its certification system.<\/p>\n The organisation has already extended its integrity programme to other species, launching a new transaction verification exercise covering Siberian larch<\/strong> during 2026 as it continues expanding oversight of higher-risk timber supply chains.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After reviewing hundreds of companies trading FSC-certified birch wood panels across Eurasia, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) says it found no evidence that Russian-origin birch entered certified supply chains after the organisation suspended certification activities in Russia in April 2022. … Continue reading