Sustainable Forestry
Verification of Legal Origin and Legal Compliance
In addition to certification, we offer forest product companies independent third-party verification of legality for the sources of raw materials for their products.
Verification of Legal Origin (VLO) verifies that timber comes from a source that has a documented legal right to harvest, pursuant to the laws and regulations of the government of the jurisdiction. Suppliers of VLO timber must follow and maintain documented chain-of-custody systems.
White Flower
Verification of Legal Compliance (VLC) expands upon the basic component of VLO by verifying that timber harvesting complies with all applicable and relevant laws and regulations related to forestry.
It is important to recognize that "legal origin" is not the same as "legal compliance."
Legal origin is about meeting the administrative requirements of permitting, planning, taxes or fees, and harvesting in defined areas. Legal compliance encompasses all the laws on environmental protection, wildlife, water and soil conservation, harvesting codes and practices, worker health and safety, and fairness to communities.
Legality verification services are available both to companies producing and selling products and to companies wishing to verify the sources of products they purchase. These verification services will involve audits of forest areas, but do not result in certification.
Legality Verification Services Standards and Guidelines can be found on the standards and guidelines page. Public summaries of Rainforest Alliance Active Verification Clients’ assessment and audit reports are also available
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