Environment Systems is part of a consortium that completed a feasibility study and is now embarking on the demonstration phase for a web based certification and information system for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The system will use satellite data for annual monitoring of certified forests and to produce maps of land cover types, boundary data and changes.

FSC certification for forest products like wood, paper and composite materials provides manufacturers and consumers with confidence about a product’s environmental and social integrity.

The FSC principles and criteria (P&C) and associated indicators require forestry organisations (FOs) to evaluate large quantities of information. FOs need to identify watersheds, commercial and recreational fisheries, landscape quality, and the forest’s contribution to regional biodiversity, recreation and tourism.

TransparentForests is a system being developed exclusively for the FSC, which will utilise satellite data for annual monitoring of certified forests and to produce maps of land cover types, boundary data and changes. The platform will allow certifiers to record field activities and all stakeholders to contribute to information required in the certification process.

Environment Systems was part of the consortium that completed the feasibility study for the system. The consortium is now starting out on the full demonstration phase which will build the system and then run full scale audit demonstrations in certified forests in the Republic of Congo, Canada, South Africa, Russia, Mexico, Sweden, the USA and the UK in 2014/2015.

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