Links to Dovetail Reports and Commentaries related to Certification.

Click here for the full, searchable list of Dovetail Reports.

Dovetail Partners has developed a number of reports addressing many aspects of certification, including group certification, various forest certification standards, chain-of-custody, auditor qualifications and stakeholder consultation.

Certification Program Guides and Comparisons

• Differences Between the FSC and SFI Certification Standards
  
• Forest Certification: A Status Report (2010)
• Beginner's Guide to Third-Party Forest Certification: Shining a Light on the Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI)
• Beginner's Guide to Third-Party Forest Certification: Shining a Light on the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
• Beginner's Guide to Third-Party Forest Certification: Shining a Light on the PEFC
• Beginner's Guide to Third-Party Forest Certification: Shining a Light on the Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
• Beginner's Guide to the International Standards Organization (ISO)
• Forest Certification Update: The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) - 6/23/08
• Forest Certification Update: The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) - 4/24/07
  
• Forest Certification and Ecological Classification Systems: The Potential for Shared Objectives and Benefits
• Forest Certification and Mutual Recognition: What is Involved and What Does it Imply?
• Forest Certification Auditor Qualifications
• The Role of Stakeholder Consultation in Forest Certification Assessments: Its Critical Importance & Making it More Effective
• A Land Manager's Guide to FSC & SFI: To Certify or Not to Certify, Is that a Question?

Family Forest Certification

• The Impacts and Benefits of the Family Forest Indicators Within the FSC-US Forest Management Standard
  
• Family Forest Ceritification in the United States: Program and Activity Updates
• Innovations in Family Forest Certification: What's Happening and What's Needed
• Family Forests, Tree Farm and FSC
• Group Certification - An Opportunity to Engage More Family Forests

Chain-of-Custody Certification

• Chain-of-Custody Certification & Group Chain-of-Custody Certificaiton
  
• FSC Controlled Wood Standard: What It Is and What It's For
• Chain-of-Custody Certification: What is It, Why do it, and How?

Green Building and Forest Certification

• Certification of Building Materials: Important or Not?
• USGBC Forest Certification Benchmarks: An Opportunity for the Development of Certification Standards for All Building Materials

Commentaries Related to Certification

• Voluntary Environmental Certification: Is Regulation the Answer?
• Market-based Certification Systems: Addressing the Real Interests of the Market

Regional Certification Issues

• International Standards and Trade Barrier
• Combining Organic and FSC Certification of Non-Timber Forest Products: Reducing Costs, Increasing Options
• The Great Lakes Region: A Forest Certification Hub, The Results of 10 Years of Commitment
  
• The Great Lakes Region: A Forest Certification Hub, A 6-Month Status Report
• "Certified Once, Accepted Everywhere" - Is the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) Part of the Solution or Problem?
• A Needs Assessment to Identify the Challenges, Resources, & Opportunities for Linking Wisconsin's Certified Forests & Markets
• Forest Certification in the Tropics: Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?