SCS LegalHarvest™ Verification

SCS LegalHarvest Verification (LHV) provides independent, third-party assessments of forests and forest product supply chains that reduce your risk of obtaining illegally harvested wood. The verification process confirms the veracity of licenses, permits and tracking documents from the forest of origin through the supply chain. SCS Legal Harvest Verification is available to individual organizations (forest managers, sawmills, pulp mills, secondary manufacturers, distributors and retailers), groups of associated organizations or entire supply chains worldwide.

With more than 18 years experience in forest management and chain of custody certification, Scientific Certification Systems offers a verification process that is both thorough and efficient.

Illegal Logging Initiatives: US Lacey Act and EU Due Diligence Regulation

It is estimated that the US imported 7 million cubic meters of illegal wood valued at 6 billion dollars in 2008¹ — enough wood to build more than 150,000 American homes. To combat illegal logging, the United States amended the Lacey Act in 2008 to prohibit trade in illegally harvested plants and plant products. The Lacey Act establishes penalties including fines and the forfeiture of goods based on the level of “due care” employed by the trading company. It pertains to interstate domestic trade and the import of plant products into the US. For more information, see our Frequently Asked Questions on the U.S. Lacey Act.

Similarly, the European Union has recently approved a ban and minimum due diligence requirements to keep illegal timber out of the European market. Other major consumer countries are soon to follow suit (e.g. Australia).

LegalHarvest Verification (LHV): a step beyond Verified Legal Origin (VLO)

Assessments at the forest level under SCS LegalHarvest Verification are essentially identical to that of Verified Legal Origin (VLO) – both assess the forest management entity’s legal right to harvest. However, LHV goes a step further, including a more robust standard for timber product companies that are further down the supply chain from the forest of harvest. Compliance to the LegalHarvest Verification Standard will help protect your company from inadvertent violation of the US Lacey Act or the EU Due Diligence Regulation. Using this rigorous standard could save your company from negative publicity and stiff government fines.

To encourage further improvement, SCS can also recognize interim milestones as your operation works toward FSC Forest Management or FSC Chain of Custody certification.

Options for LegalHarvest Verification

1. Supply Chain Pre-Assessment: This option is for companies further down the supply chain from the forest of harvest. The pre-assessment provides these companies with a better picture of their supply chain risk while demonstrating the initial steps toward due care under the Lacey Act or EU Due Diligence Regulation. A participating company will be required to put in place a purchasing policy and circulate supplier questionnaires. The results from the questionnaires will be assessed and summarized into a detailed report with actionable findings for lowering overall risk. Full Legal Harvest Verification audits would be a likely second step for all high-risk supply chains.
2. LegalHarvest Verification: This option is for organizations that directly manage forests and want to provide the extra assurance to the market that their timber products are legally harvested. Regular on-site assessments of the forestry operation to the LHV Standard for Forests are required for program recognition. Verification of legally-required documents will be checked against on-the-ground practices before the LHV claim can be used.
3. LHV for Factories & Traders: For all forest products manufacturers and forest product traders who want to demonstrate their wood products came from legal sources. It requires regular on-site auditing against the LHV Standard for Chain of Custody to determine the veracity of documentation and on-the-ground procedures for accurately identifying and tracking legal wood throughout their processes. Sometimes this will require audits of specific upstream suppliers and forests that don’t already have a LHV or VLO verification statement (certificate).
4. LHV for Groups & Multi-Sites: This option is a variation on 2 & 3 above and allows for the grouping of multiple entities or sites on a single verification statement (certificate). This option is most applicable to organizations with the capacity to manage and oversee larger networks. Examples include: Larger corporations with many sites performing similar operations, business associations, trade federations, and capacity building/consulting organizations. Additional capacity and over site requirements in the LHV Standard for Groups & Multi-Sites must be met to take advantage of this option.

Customized services are available upon request.

Request for Service

Applications

• SCS LegalHarvest™ Verification Program – Chain of Custody Application, English - US, MS Word
• SCS LegalHarvest™ Verification Program – Chain of Custody Application, Portuguese, MS Word
• SCS LegalHarvest™ Verification Program – Forest Application, English - US, MS Word
• SCS LegalHarvest™ Verification Program – Forest Application, Spanish, MS Word
• SCS LegalHarvest™ Verification Program – Forest Application, Portuguese, MS Word

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