INDIAN FOREST AND WOOD
CERTIFCATION SCHEME(IFWCS)

A Snapshot of Forestry in India
Forest and Tree Cover Statistics

Forest Cover Map (ISFR, 2021)

0.71 msq.km

21.7%

Total Forest
Cover% Area
underForest
Cover

10thLargest
ForestArea in theWorld

3rd

Highest Net
Gain in
Forest Area
between
2010-2020

24.6%% Areaunder
Forest andTree Cover

Increase in Forest Cover over last 4 decadeswith economic growth & growing human population
19.52%

19.44%

20.55%

21.05%

21.71%

1.425
Billion
HumanPopulation*
*1987

1991

*Source: Forest Survey of India**UN World Population Estimates

2001

2011

2021

6.8%

ProjectedGDP
GrowthRate
2024-25

National and International level commitments to increase forestcover
National Forest Policy
Towards Land
restoration

Minimum of one- third of the geographical area underforest cover
Bonn Challenge and Voluntary National Contribution
under Global Forest goals

India’s Bonn Challenge Commitment➢➢

Restoration of 26 million Ha of Degraded Lands by 2030
18.94 million Ha of land has already been resorted

India’s NDCs
➢ Additional carbon sink of
2.5 to 3 billion tons of CO2
equivalent by 2030
➢ 1.97 billion tons of CO2 already sequesteredPromotion of agroforestry and tree outside forests
National Agroforestry Policy, 2014
•Launched in February 2014
•India is the first country to adopt agroforestry policy•Aims to improve productivity and environmental sustainability byintegrating trees, crops, and livestock into the same plot of land.
•Facilitates annual investment of $3.5 Billion to tree planting through CSR
schemes

Sub-Mission on Agroforestry

Objective
Expansion of Tree Cover on Farmlands in a manner complementary withAgriculture crops

InputsEnsuring availability of Quality Planting Material (QPM), extension andcapacity building support.

Sustainable Forest Management at the Core of India’s Forestry Interventions
Evolution of Indian Forest Policy

Working Plan
All forests in India are sustainably managed, based on a well-defined Working Plan

1894
Prioritized
production ofTimber

1952
Focused on Timber
Production &Conservation

1988
Emphasis on conservationof forests and participatory
forest management•Working plans have been inexistence since 1800s and are
Long-term management plans forforests and protected areas•Well set established institutional
system exists for monitoring forests
and wildlife on multiple levels•Imbibes principles of sustainableforest management
Working Plan Code-2023
Main instrument of scientificmanagement of forests
Indian Forest Management
Standards in place

Launching the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme
Scheme to be governed by the Indian
Forest Certification Council (IFCC)
under Additional General of Forests

National Forest Certification Scheme, key features:➢ Based on the Principles of Sustainable Forest Management➢ Covers Forest Management, Trees outside Forest (TOF) / Agroforestry,
Chain of Custody➢ Uses National Working Plan Code as basis of formulating the scheme
and FM standard➢ 8 Criteria | 69 Indicators in Indian Forest Management StandardMake certification
cost effective

Reducetime frame

IIFM Centre for Sustainable Forest
Management and Forest Certification toact as the Secretariat
Accreditation of Certifying bodies byQuality Council of India and National
Accreditation board for Certifying
Bodies➢ 5 Criteria | 22 Indicators for Trees Outside Forests/ Agroforestry

IFWCS intends to

Indian Institute of Forest Management(IIFM) as Scheme Operating agency

Make Indianstandards
globally
acceptable

Bring certification
amongst TOF farmers
and tree growers

Promoteprocedure forgroupcertification

Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS)
IFWCS
isatparwithinternational
andnational
Schemes and also meets theneeds of the country given its
specific context In terms ofCertification
Standard,andAccreditation and Certification
processes
Program for Recognition and Accreditation of
Sustainable Management Practices for Agroforestry
and Natural Forestry Resources

And therefore, is eligible formutualrecognition
andmarket acceptanceCurrent Certification Scenario in India

India has close to 0.6 Million ha ofvalid certified land.

Key states and their certification holders

Telangana•••

TSFDC - 18,369 Ha
Andhra Paper Ltd. – 25,583Ha
ITC Ltd. – 60,427 HaOdisha•

JK Paper Ltd. – 30,317.91
HaUttarPradesh•

UPFC – 450,408.00 Ha

Insight into Forest certification and major issues
ForestCertification

Mechanism formonitoring, tracing
andlabelling timber,and non-timber
forest products

Forest Management(FM) Certification

Issues to beaddressed

Mainly of two types
Forest Management (FM)& Chain of Custody (CoC)

Demand for
certification is
generally Marketdriven

Process of certification
is well established

Chain Custody (COC) Certification

Monopolized byprivate players

Certification isprohibitively
Expensive

Cumbersome andcomplicatedprocesses

Inaccessible forSmall landholders
under Agroforestry

ACCREDITATION SYSTEM FOR IFWCSThe National Accreditation Board for Certification
Bodies (NABCB) under QCI• Is member of International Accreditation Forum• Accreditation, Compliance and Monitoring ofCertification Bodies• Proposed processes and procedures are at parwith the international systems (FSC, PEFC, ISO)

Making Certification accessible and transparent
Forest Certification should be inclusive and easily accessible to all, including small landowners and agroforestry farmers.

1. Capacity building for SFM and long term
management of forests for countries

4. Benchmarking of all Certification programmes acrossproducing & importing countries

2. Set global benchmark standards for forest
certification for countries to adopt.

5. Enhance international cooperation between
producing & importing countries for acceptance of
all forest certification schemes that are transparent andbased on international standards.

3. Examine existing certification programmes
based on these international standards

Level playing field for producer and importer countries

Recognition of national certification schemes
Enable incentivization of small landholders and agroforestry farmers

Indian Forest Management Standard (IFMS)
of Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS)▪The Standard sets guidelines for sustainable forest management in terms of broad framework of▪Criteria,▪Indicators, and▪Verifiers that recognizes that forests have environmental, economic and social objectives.
▪Criteria are categories of conditions or processes by which SFM can be assessed, and each criterion is characterized bya set of indicators that can be monitored to assess change over time
▪Each indicator is accompanied by verifiers which are the data or information for assessing its status or change overtime.
▪State Forest Department / Working Plan Officers can adapt these indicators and verifiers according to the specificsituation and local needs of the Forest Division.

Criteria – Indicators –Verifiers
Criteria 1

Extent andCondition ofForest andtree cover

Indicator

Verifier

Periodicity

123
4
5678
9108
3
53
564
462

Every year
10 years
2 years
10 years
5 years
Every year
Every year
Every year
Every year
Every year

Sub Total

1046

Criteria 2

Indicator

Verifier

Periodicity

123456733
6323
4

5 years
5 years
5 years
5 years
10 years
5 years
5 years

Maintenance,Conservation
andEnhancementof Biodiversity
Sub Total

724

Criteria 3

Indicator

Verifier

Periodicity

Maintenance andEnhancement ofForest Health andVitality

1234
56784635555
3

5 years
Every year
Every year
5 years
2 years
5 years
Every year
5 years

Sub Total

836

Criteria 4

Indicator
12
34
566
Indicator
12345678
9

Verifier
33343
117
Verifier
33
1114742

Conservation and
Maintenance of Soiland Water Resources
Sub TotalCriteria 5

Maintenance andEnhancement ofForest Resource
Productivity

Sub Total

Periodicity
2 years
5 years
Every year
5 years
5 years
Every year
Periodicity
5 years
5 years
5 years
5 years
Every year
Every year
Every year
Every yearCriteria 6

Indicator

Verifier

Periodicity

Optimisation ofForest Resource
Utilisation

123
4
5678
933
5447
2
4
2

5 years
5 years
5 years
5 years
5 years
5 years
5 years
5 years
2 years

934

Sub Total

Indicator Verifier Periodicity
13
Every year23
2 years
34
5 years
Benefits to local
people - social, and4
15 years
cultural values
5
4Every year
62
Every year
7
35 years
Sub Total
720

Criteria 8

Policy, Legal andInstitutional
Framework

Criteria 7

Sub Total

Indicator Verifier Periodicity
1
35 years
2
15 years
3
65 years
4
7
5 years
5
4
Every year
62
Every year
7
52 years
8
55 years
9
55 years
10
62 years
11
32 years
12
35 years
13
1
Every year
1351

Total Criteria

8

Total Indicators

69Total Verifiers

254

Standard for Sustainable Management of Trees outside Forest ofIndian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS)
1. This standard is applicable for tree owners such as individual farmers,
farmer groups and other entities in the timber or Non-Wood Produce(NWP) value chain who share and adhere to common principles ofsustainable plantation/agroforestry management.
2. Applicable to diverse types of plantations/agroforestry systems.

CRITERIA – INDICATORS – VERIFIERS
Criteria 1
Maintenanceand increase in
the extent ofarea under ToF
Sub Total

Criteria 2
Maintenance,
conservation
andenhancementof biodiversityand ecosystemservices
through ToF
Sub Total

Indicator

Verifier

12232

5

Criteria 3

Indicator
1

Verifier

Criteria 5324324253

63

Adequacy ofpolicy, legal
provisions andguiding
documents fortheestablishmentof trees outside
forest75

Sub Total

84

Sub Total

826

Indicator
1

Verifier
62

2

2

8

Conservation,maintenance andenhancement ofproductivity andvitality of ToF

Indicator
1

Verifier
222

3

74

452

Criteria 4
Socio-economic andcultural benefits ofToF

517

Sub Total

Indicator
1

Verifier
62

2344454520

Total Criteria

5Total Indicators

22

Total Verifiers

76

CHAIN OF CUSTODY CERTIFICATION• Provide reliable and verifiable information that forest and tree
based products are sourced from IFWCS certified sustainably
managed forests and / or plantations.
• Allow organizations to demonstrate their strong commitment to
the Indian Forest Management Standard as contained in NWPC
2023.
• Facilitates the transparent flow of goods made from such materials
throughout the value chain.

Thank You