Forest Management Plan (OI2622)

This metric is intended to capture whether an organization has a forest management plan (FMP), which delineates the technical application of appropriate forestry principles, practices, and business techniques to manage a forest in pursuit of the landowner's objectives.

Organizations' FMPs typically include information about land tenure, existing designation and land use, landowners' goals and objectives, location (including limits and bounds), protection and maintenance activities, inventory data, and proscribed activities. FMPs also typically outline a Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system that collects and monitors such data as the yield of forest products harvested; the growth rates, regeneration, and condition of the forest; the composition and observed changes in the resident flora and fauna; the environmental and social impacts of harvesting and other operations; and the costs, productivity, and efficiency of forest management. FMPs may also include a requirement to conduct an Environmental & Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) to assess, for example, High Conservation Value (HCV) and High Carbon Stock (HCS) forests.

Examples of FMP details, to footnote, may include: what information is included in the FMP, whether the plan has been approved by national authorities, whether the organization regularly submits its reports to the relevant national authorities, whether the organization has a team in charge of its implementation, whether the plan is applied as a guide in annual harvesting or collecting operations, whether the plan is reviewed regularly (and at what interval), and whether the plan’s implementation is verified by a third party.

Organizations are encouraged, where applicable, to report this metric in conjunction with Land Directly Controlled: Sustainably Managed (OI6912) and Land Indirectly Controlled: Sustainably Managed (PI6796).

Organizations can refer to the following resources for additional guidance:

• International Finance Corporation: The Social and Environmental Impact Assessment Process (http://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/296ae980488551f5aa0cfa6a6515bb18/ESIA.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=jkCYZ3G)

  -The United Nations REDD Programme (http://www.un-redd.org/unreddprogramme/internationalsupport/measurementreportingandverification/tabid/1050/language/en-us/default.aspx)