Rather, it is a tool for assessing the quality of forest management, with timber harvesting typically a key component. Should timber harvesting be a selected management tool, the certification process provides a useful perspective on the relative viability and quality of timber harvesting on specific management units within a forest area. Certification can provide a valuable perspective on the effectiveness and efficiency of these processes. Contractors who work in a timber sale system where individual harvests are competitively bid upon will need to work with public forest managers to explore certification. It is often difficult for public land managers to predict the amount of funding they will receive to support their forest management efforts.
Certification requires consistency in both management and resources to support management.
The certification process can provide a useful perspective for assisting decision-makers in allocating forest management resources. After completion of the certification process, public forest land managers should provide information to the public explaining the certification process, the role of auditors, and how the public can provide continuing input during subsequent auditing. SmartWood can assist in producing such information, and must review such documents prior to public distribution. During the assessment, auditors meet with many different parties in order to understand the management dynamics in the forest, get perspectives on management objectives, ensure understanding of the certification process, clarify avenues for channeling concerns during and after the certification assessment and explain how auditing works if an operation is certified. This stratification assists auditors in planning the field part of the assessment.