UK Government change to its Timber Procurement Policy
From the 1st April 2009 all Central Government Departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies were required to procure either legal and sustainable timber or Forest Law Enforcement, Governance Trade (FLEGT) - licensed timber.
The Forestry Commission has agreed a process with Defra that helps woodland owners meet recent changes to the government timber procurement policy. Woodland owners can use the Forestry Commission’s Woodland Planning Grant template to produce a management plan, get felling approval and demonstrate the timber is from a sustainable source.
There are 2 main ways of demonstrating legality and sustainability:
Category A: a recognised certification scheme
Category B: other evidence of legality and sustainability
The Forestry Commission's Woodland Planning Grant will allow woodland owners to demonstrate this by providing Category B evidence. Please see Operations Note 022 - Enabling Woodlands to Comply with Government Timber Procurement Policy (233kb), which explains the application process. The Chain of Custody form is available separately.
