Forest For The Future – Podcasts

Title: Episode 76: Exploring FSC’s Strategy on GIS-Based Technologies Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard Description: Join us as we speak with Scot McQueen, Senior Technology Officer at FSC International, about FSC’s strategy to increase the use of GIS-based technologies. Scot explains the key steps in implementing this strategy, details our exciting new partnership with ESRI, and introduces our revamped platform for uploading boundary shape files. This platform will help us create a comprehensive map of FSC-certified forest areas, which is crucial for monitoring and compliance. But it also will help us unlock our ability to support forest manager around the world get access to GIS driven data layers and analytics as an integral part of their FSC certification. We also discuss how GIS technology will aid compliance with regulations like the EUDR and other upcoming legislations, and our aspirational goals for the next year. Tune in to learn how FSC is leveraging GIS technology to enhance sustainable forestry.

Title: Episode 75: The Detail is in What We Measure: Making Impact Measurement a Reality Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard Description: In this episode, we explore FSC's journey towards outcome-oriented approaches in sustainable forestry. Franck Trolliet and Arildo Dias share insights into how FSC is transitioning to an impact-focused system, ensuring that its standards lead to measurable and meaningful outcomes. Join us as we delve into the new concept note for Outcome Orientation in the FSC system and how impact evaluation will transform sustainable forest management. Learn about the indicators being developed to track carbon, biodiversity, social, and economic outcomes and how GIS and remote sensing technologies play a pivotal role in this transformation. We also discuss the potential challenges stakeholders may face during this shift and the long-term vision for outcome orientation in FSC. This episode sheds light on how FSC plans to reinforce its mission of responsible forestry while responding to increasing demands for data-driven proof of impact. Key Discussion Points: • What does "Outcome Orientation" mean, and why is it crucial for FSC? • How is this approach different from traditional certification methods? • The role of new indicators in measuring forest management impacts. • How GIS and remote sensing technologies enhance data collection. • The implications for national standards and global procedures. • The future of FSC’s Verified Impact certification and its synergy with Outcome Indicators. Tune in to discover how FSC’s focus on impact measurement is shaping the future of responsible forestry and the broader field of sustainability.

Title: Episode 74 – EU Taxonomy – The vehicle behind green finance? Featuring Asger Olsen, International Woodland Company, and Ondrej Tarabus, FSC International Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard Description: In this episode of Forest for the Future, we explore a piece of legislation that has the potential to reshape how businesses approach sustainability: the EU Taxonomy. We sit down with Asger Olsen, Global Head of Climate Biodiversity and ESG at International Woodland Company, and Ondrej Tarabus, Senior Advisor for Verified Impact at FSC International, to break down the complexities of the EU Taxonomy and what it means for sustainable forestry and climate action. Join us as we dive deep into how this legislation connects financial incentives to the green transition, and why it's essential for companies—both within and beyond the EU—to understand its requirements. We also discuss the broader implications of this legislation for biodiversity, eco-system services, and the role of FSC in driving sustainable practices globally. Topics we cover include: • What is the EU Taxonomy, and why should we care? • How the EU Taxonomy integrates with other major legislations like the EUDR and CSRD. • The global impact of the EU Taxonomy on companies, even outside of the EU. • How FSC is aligning with the EU Taxonomy to stay relevant and promote sustainable forest management. Listen in as we unpack the challenges and opportunities presented by this landmark legislation!

Title: Episode 72 Circularity in FSC - How do we make a linear system circular? Featuring Loa Dalgaard Worm, leader of the FSC Circularity Hub Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard Description: How does FSC go from being a linear system to being supportive of the circular economy? That is the focus of this special episode of Forest for the Future, where Loa Dalgaard Worm, global lead of the FSC Circularity Hub is interviewed by Ewa Hermanowicz, FSC Communications manager. FSC was built 30 years ago in a time where products were mainly linear. As a result all of our standards and rules are designed for linear economy. How do we transition all of that to being fit in a circular economy? And what are the topics and processes explored as part of the process? That is the topics covered in this episode.

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 Dalgaard 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, Loa Dalgaard 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): Worm, 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.

Title: Episode 65:Joining forces from forest to ocean - Tropical timber in the Yachting Industry Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard Description: In this episode we focus on how we through collaboration and innovation can improve the way entire industries source. More specifically we are going to look at how we through joint effort are trying to make the sourcing in the yachting industry more sustainable. Timber has been used on the oceans for hundreds of years. But there is a challenge: The species used most often are technically superior but comes with a high social and ecological price. We must find new sustainable solutions. This will require innovation, collaboration, and new partnerships. In the episode I am joined by Olaf van Tunen from Van Stijn Rijnwoude, Friso Kuperus from Pure Vision, Tijmen Hennekes from FSC Netherlands and Gao Ya from FSC International. The episode was sponsored by Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (https://www.fpa2.org)

Title: Episode 64: Getting rid of the bad apples – FSCs work on risk based interventions Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard Description: In this episode we talk about risk or more specifically how FSC is increasingly transitioning toward being a risk-based system. This means diving deeper into, how we in FSC are developing a system, where we evaluate the risk profile of a certificate holders and present them to with differentiated requirements for auditing, based on whether they are high risk or low risk. What does that mean, how far along is the thinking on this and how would this work? Those are some of the questions that I have today for my two guests, Marc Jessel, Chief Systems integrity officer at FSC, and Elena Tveritinove, interim program manager for Supply Chain integrity at FSC.

Title: Episode 63: 1 + 1 = 11 – Partnerships as a catalyst for change Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard Description: This episode is on partnerships – good partnerships, bad partnerships, failed partnerships and those tough partnerships, that might just surprise you. I’ve invited three people to have a conversation with me on this. Mette Boye, Conservation Director, WWF World Wildlife Fund in Denmark, Ulf Johansson, Head of Global Wood Supply & Forestry, IKEA and Kim Carstensen, CEO of FSC International. All of them have heaps of experience with partnerships. We are going to talk about how you know who to work with and who not, how partnerships evolve and what their biggest concerns are for partnerships moving forward. The audio for this episode was recorded live during the international world congress for architects UIA23, at the FSC Lounge supported by EU Life programme. (EU-Life / LIFE20/GIE/NL/001073 )

Title: Episode 62: Solutionists – how business can fix the future Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard Description: In this episode we dive deep into how we leverage the power of each and everyone of us to halt climate change, the biodiversity crises, the social divide and injustice. We only have seven years left before we hit the targets in the Paris Agreement and many of the magical timelines set by companies worldwide. But we can do! That is at least the encouragement from the guest in this episode, Solitaire Townsend, who has just released the book “Solutionists – how businesses can fix the future”. Solitaire is co-founder of the global and award-winning sustainability agency Futerra and works with clients in the big league – such as IKEA, Google, United Nations and Lancome – and she is now offering all of her learnings in a “how-to” book, that helps all of us becoming more actionable on the high hairy topics.

Title: Episode 61: FSC in Ukraine: Providing meaning and value – a status 1,5 years into the war Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard Description: In this episode we return to Ukraine one and a half year after the invasion and for the first time we will hear from our team on the ground and from some of the certificate holders. They will share their stories and enlighten us on, why a thing like maintaining FSC can be important even when you live in a country under attack from foreign invasion. During our conversation we covered topics as broad as what changes in everyday work life the war has required, why FSC for many businesses and forest owners is more important than ever, how integrity is maintained and why it is so crucial that we maintain our business with Ukrainian companies. To help me learn more, I invited Pavlo Kravets, Director of FSC Ukraine, Yevhenii Khan, Chain of Custody and integrity manager at FSC Ukraine, Viktoria Kuchmuk, Manager of Zunami LLC - an FSC-certified working company producing oak floors and Natalia Pokinska, Managing Director at Kronospan UA LLC – the largest wood-based panels-producing company in the country.

Title: Episode 60: FSC Check – how FSC will use risk evaluation as part of the certification process Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard Description: In this episode we dive deep into the world of safeguarding FSCs integrity and ensuring that the businesses and organisations around the world working with FSC are the good guys. In a world where sustainable transformation is the norm and prerequisite for many business transactions and license to operate, getting certified by FSC is increasingly attractive to companies around the world. This is a positive thing. But it also means that some might want to join FSC, who do not necessarily fit the profile of companies, we want to work with. They might be deforesting forest areas in other parts of their business or violating human or workers’ rights. Destructive activities such as these are a part of a longer list of actions that are in the FSC system called “unacceptable activities”. Today we are going to talk about a new tool in FSC, which will help us identify the if a company that wants to get certified, or an applicant member has been involved in an unacceptable activity or not, based on which FSC will allow them to enter the FSC system or reject their application. To help me understand more, I’ve invited Saija Hotti, Program Manager for Operations and Development at FSC.

Title: Episode 58: How might we use existing technologies to comply? (Getting granular on EUDR, episode 2 of 3) Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard Description: This episode is 2 of 3 recorded live at the FSC event Wood you find it in Brussels on April 25th 2023. At the event EU policymakers, NGOs, companies, voluntary sustainability standards, representatives from producing countries, EU Competent Authorities, the forest sector, and journalists met to learn, discover, debate and imagine together a world in which we know exactly where every piece of wood comes from. The event was built around a brand new piece of EU legislation: the European deforestation regulation (EUDR). The focus was on how EUDR and its geo-location requirement can play a role in the wood sector taking into account the environmental, economic, social dimension of the matter, both in Europe and globally. In this second episode we will diving into how existing technologies can be used to enable companies to comply and featured expert input from Jade Saunders, World Forest ID, Joanna Nowakowska, FSC, Anke Schulmeister-Oldenhove, WWF EPO, Annie Adams, Kingfisher & Irene Rodríguez, Senior Manager, Planet. The session was moderated by Mariam Zaidi and of course included a lot of questions from the audience.

Title: Episode 59: The global perspective on EUDR, Getting granular on EUDR (episode 3 of 3) Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard Description: This episode is 3 of 3 recorded live at the FSC event Wood you find it in Brussels on April 25th 2023. At the event EU policymakers, NGOs, companies, voluntary sustainability standards, representatives from producing countries, EU Competent Authorities, the forest sector, and journalists met to learn, discover, debate and imagine together a world in which we know exactly where every piece of wood comes from. The event was built around a brand new piece of EU legislation: the European deforestation regulation (EUDR). The focus was on how EUDR and its geo-location requirement can play a role in the wood sector taking into account the environmental, economic, social dimension of the matter, both in Europe and globally. In this last episode we will be looking into what the legislation looks like from the other side of the table – from the producing countries who will need to support European buyers with their compliance to the legislation. We will be hearing from Alexandra Benjamin, FERN, Chantal Marijnissen, EU Commission, Gert van der Bijl, Solidaridad & Escipion Joaquin Oliveira Gomez, OACPS. And we will get closing remarks from Kim Carstensen, CEO of FSC.

Title: Episode 57: Setting the scene – Why requirements on geo location? Getting granular on EUDR (episode 1 of 3) Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard Description: This episode is 1 of 3 recorded live at the FSC event Wood you find it in Brussels on April 25th 2023. At the event EU policymakers, NGOs, companies, voluntary sustainability standards, representatives from producing countries, EU Competent Authorities, the forest sector, and journalists met to learn, discover, debate and imagine together a world in which we know exactly where every piece of wood comes from. The event was built around a brand new piece of EU legislation: the European deforestation regulation (EUDR). The focus was on how EUDR and its geo-location requirement can play a role in the wood sector taking into account the environmental, economic, social dimension of the matter, both in Europe and globally. In this first episode we will be setting the scene about EUDR by hearing from the EU commission itself, via Astrid Ladefoged, Head of Unit F1, Planetary Common Goods, Universal Values & Environmental Security, EU Commission, DG ENV and from FSCs CIO, Michael Marus. The session was moderated by Mariam Zaidi and of course included a lot of questions from the audience.

Title: Episode 56: Revising standard in an agile and engaging way – how? Author(s): Worm, Loa Dalgaard