PEFC UK is required to revise or review its national endorsed forest certification scheme every five years. PEFC UK has used the U K Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS) as part of its national scheme since 2002 and the current version of UKWAS 4 has now begun its revision process to UKWAS 5. The first public consultation on the initial draft is for 60 days and is now open. We would encourage all stakeholders to comment on the draft and answer the questions posed in the consultation paper.
The consultation draft has been prepared by a chamber-balanced working group reflecting economic, environmental, and social interests taking full account of earlier stakeholder input.
Stakeholders are encouraged to read through the draft and submit their comments using the Consultation Template. A further draft will then be prepared taking the feedback into account and a second revision draft will be released for a further round of consultation beginning in October.
The aim is for a new fifth edition of the UKWAS standard to be effective from April 2023.The following documentation is available:
- Consultation Paper
- Consultation Template
- UKWAS 5 Initial Revision Draft (full version)
- UKWAS 5 Initial Revision Draft (requirements-only version)
The revision papers maybe found here
Standard-users and stakeholders should submit their input by Friday, 30th April 2021 to ukwas@ukwas.org.uk.