FSC PRO 30-011 V1-1 EN - Continuous Improvement Procedure

Sep 11, 2026

FSC develops a risk-based Continuous Improvement Procedure (CIP) to improve access to and uptake of the FSC system for communities and owners of small or low intensity forests, including SLIMF and community forests. The procedure supports a stepwise approach to certification by distinguishing Core Criteria and Continuous Improvement Criteria, paired with an Action Plan and periodic self-monitoring. It sets requirements for CIP users and certification bodies, including evaluation, surveillance, non-conformities, and auditing of group members, with annex templates to enable implementation and usability.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time7 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Objective

Scope

Effective and Validity Date

References and Terms

Part I: Requirements for Continuous Improvement Procedure (CIP) Users

Application to use the CIP

Initial Conformity Self Check

Action Plan development and implementation

Self-Monitoring

Continuous improvement in forest management groups

Part II: Requirements for Certification Bodies

General requirements

Application

Main evaluation and surveillance evaluation

Non-conformities

Auditing of CIP users in a forest management group

Annexes

Annex 1: Self Conformity Check (Excel template)

Annex 2: Action Plan (Excel template)

Annex 3: Specifications for local experts

Procedure FSC PRO 30-011 V1-1 EN | Title: | Continuous Improvement Procedure | | --- | --- | | Dates: | Approval date: 7 August 2024
Effective date: 1 January 2025 | | Timeframes: | Transition end date: 1 July 2026
Period of validity: until replaced or withdrawn | | Contact for
comments: | FSC International – Performance and Standards Unit Adenauerallee 134
53113 Bonn Germany
Phone: +49-(0)228-36766-0
Fax: +49-(0)228-36766-65
Email: [psu@fsc.org](psu@fsc.org) | Version control | Publication | 30 August 2024 | | | --- | --- | --- | | date: | | | | Version | Description Date | | | V1-0 | The initial version was approved by the FSC Board of Directors
at its 91st meeting on 15 March 2022.
This procedure was developed to provide a flexible approach for
The Organization managing SLIMF or Community Forests, to
access FSC certification, by progressively conforming to the
applicable FSC standard throughout the first certification cycle. | 15.03.2022 | | V1-1 This version includes minor revisions to align with updates made 23.08.2024
to the FSC normative framework, including V2-0> , , and .
In addition, uestions and proposed actions in Annex 1 have been improved, and the functionality of all Annexes has been
optimized for better usability.
| | | ® 2022 Forest Stewardship Council, A.C. All Rights Reserved FSC® F000100 You may not distribute, modify, transmit, reuse, reproduce, re-post or use the copyrighted materials from this document for public or commercial purposes, without the express written consent of the publisher. You are hereby authorized to view, download, print and distribute individual pages from this document subject for informational purposes only. INTRODUCTION FSC seeks to improve access to, and uptake of, the FSC system by communities and owners of small forests. The FSC system consists of common Principles and Criteria (P&C) for the certification of all management units globally, regardless of their size, ownership, socioeconomic conditions, or types of forest systems. Despite the application of the concepts of scale, intensity, and risk (SIR) and small or low intensity managed forest (SLIMF) in the FSC normative framework, for small-scale and community forests, particularly in tropical countries, conformity with FSC requirements is still a big challenge and involves a large investment compared to the economic benefit that FSC certification may offer to them. To overcome some of these challenges, FSC has developed this Continuous Improvement Procedure (CIP) . The development of the CIP responds to an FSC members mandate from motion 46 passed on the General Assembly held in 2017 in Vancouver, Canada, and it aims to contribute to the FSC goals described in the FSC Global Strategy (2021-2026) . The CIP follows a risk-based approach, which allows for a stepwise approach to certification for SLIMFand community forests based on an international assessment of risk (the categorization of Core Criteria (CC) and Continuous Improvement Criteria (CIC) and low-risk designation to certain criteria) and local considerations (active and inactive forest management units) . It is also arguably outcome-oriented, as it focuses on delivering on the most impactful criteria in the context of small-scale and community forests, while leading to full conformance with the P&C. Figure 1: Continuous Improvement concept. The CIP concept distinguishes between Core Criteria (CC) and Continuous Improvement Criteria (CIC) that shall be conformed with in different points in time. The CIP usershall meet the CC and have an Action Plan to obtain FSC certification at the initial stage of the process. To maintain certification, the CIC shall be met in accordance with the path established in the Action Plan during the first certification cycle comprised of 5 years or, in case of group members, during the first 5 years

FAQs

What is the purpose of the FSC Continuous Improvement Procedure (CIP)?

The CIP provides a flexible, progressive pathway for organizations managing SLIMF or community forests to access FSC forest management certification while moving toward full conformance across the first certification cycle.

How does the CIP handle Core Criteria (CC) and Continuous Improvement Criteria (CIC)?

The CIP distinguishes CC and CIC and requires CC to be met initially, while CIC must be met according to the path in the Action Plan during the first certification cycle or, for groups, during the first five years of group membership.

What requirements does the CIP set for certification bodies?

It defines requirements for general application, main and surveillance evaluations, handling non-conformities, and auditing CIP users within forest management groups.

Sep 11, 2026

Uploaded by Alex Sinclair