Forest For The Future - Podcasts FSC International

Title: Episode 71: Can you count the impact of FSC on biodiversity? Featuring Joeri A. Zwerts, Assistant professor at Ecology and Biodiversity, Utrecht University
Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard
Description: This episode delves into the tangible impact of FSC on wildlife and biodiversity. We explore the proven benefits and the methodologies used to measure them.

Join us as we discuss a groundbreaking study recently published in Nature Magazine. This research, the largest of its kind, assesses the effect of FSC certification on tropical forests.

Our guest, Joeri A. Zwerts from the University of Utrecht, shares insights from his five-year study conducted in Congo, Cameroon, and Gabon. He tested FSC's core promise: to protect biodiversity and wildlife. Learn about the challenges he faced and the significant findings on FSC's real impact on the ground.

Tune in to understand how conservation efforts translate into measurable results in the forests.

Title: Episode 70: A new era for FSC? The effect of technology releases and legislation featuring Michael Marus, Chief Information Officer, and Marc Jessel, Chief System Integrity Officer at FSC international
Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalggard
Description: In this episode we are going to talk big picture. The thing is that FSC is on the brink of a new era of our existence. Or at least that is my feeling before entering into the conversation with the two guests.

We are in a few months releasing our blockchain tool to the world. We are finalizing new voluntary module to support compliance with upcoming legislations – and FSC doesn’t normally have voluntary modules. We are linking all of our digital innovations into a few new user facing tools. And all of this is happening at an unprecedented speed for FSC.

Do my guests agree that we are moving faster and that we within the next six months will see a completely new FSC offering emerging? That is what I’ve invited Marc Jessel, Chief System Integrity Officer and Michael Marus, Chief Information Officer & Acting Head of Resources and Services into the studio for a conversation on.

Title: Episode 69: Proof from the ground and sky - Combining forensic testing and earth observation, Featuring Scot McQueen, Senior Technology Officer at FSC International and Jade Saunders, Director of World Forest ID
Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard
Description: This episode focus on origin verification and the tools companies, authorities and organizations such as FSC can use to prove that products come from where we think they come from. Some of these tools are currently being together into a web, that can give undisputable yet cost effective proof by organisations such as World Forest ID, who are now combining earth observation – satellite imagery – and forensic testing from the ground.

To enlighten me on what is being worked on inside and outside of FSC within this field I’ve invited Scot McQueen, Senior Technology Officer at FSC International and Jade Saunders, Director of World Forest ID.

Title: Episode 67: How can we help you? – How FSC is aligning to EUDR (Chapter 1)
Author(s): Worm
Description: CHAPTER 1 OF 2. The European Deforestation regulation is coming and companies around the globe are working fast to align to the new requirements. In these two episodes of Forest for the Future we dive into the details of the legislation and how companies might get to the level of data points needed.

We get nerdy about how FSC will adjust to the new data fields needed. We will talk about how we can help and when. And we will touch base on what is causing headaches when adjusting to the new legislation. To get down to the level of detail needed, where I’ve invited Joanna Nowakowska, FSC System Performance Director and Michael Marus, FSC Chief Information Officer and Matteo Mascolo, Lead EU Affairs & Engagement for Europe to help me get up to speed.

This is a large topic and therefore this episode will consist of two chapters.

Title: Episode 68: How can we help you? – How FSC is aligning to EUDR (Chapter 2)
Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard
Description: CHAPTER 2 OF 2. The European Deforestation regulation is coming and companies around the globe are working fast to align to the new requirements. In these two episodes of Forest for the Future we dive into the details of the legislation and how companies might get to the level of data points needed.

We get nerdy about how FSC will adjust to the new data fields needed. We will talk about how we can help and when. And we will touch base on what is causing headaches when adjusting to the new legislation. To get down to the level of detail needed, where I’ve invited Joanna Nowakowska, FSC System Performance Director and Michael Marus, FSC Chief Information Officer and Matteo Mascolo, Lead EU Affairs & Engagement for Europe to help me get up to speed.

This is a large topic and therefore this episode will consist of two chapters.

Title: Episode 66: What can filtering water tells us about biodiversity? Utilizing new techniques like eDNA and bio-acoustics
Author(s): FSC International, Loa Dalgaard
Description: In this episode we talk about biodiversity and how we might use new methods to new methods to monitor the health of biodiversity in certified and non-certified forests.
FSC has embarked on complementing our standards with a robust monitoring and evaluation system to prove the benefits of certification on forest ecosystems. This proof should come in a form, that can be aggregated, is data driven and possible to collect at scale in certified forests.

To solve this, FSC has started looking into using technologies such as eDNA and bio acoustics to determine forest health and evaluate biodiversity within forest concessions.
We now have result of the first pilot of using eDNA to compare impact of FSC certification in Gabon. To teach me about this pilot and to share some of the results, I have invited some of the people behind the project into the studio. They are Franck Trolliet,, Programme Manager for Monitoring & Evaluation at FSC, Rodolphe Metayer, Project Director at Terea, and Vincent Prie, project director at Spygen.