Section I: Overview Introduction by Patricia Shanley, Sarah A Laird, Alan R Pierce and

Certification is a relatively new forest policy tool that attempts to foster responsible resource stewardship through the labelling of consumer products. The premise is that consumers will seek out and support products that are reputably certified as hailing from well-managed sources. To date, forest management certification has focused on timber products, although some attention is now being given to NTFPs.