Background Information

The first edition of the UK Woodland Assurance Standard was agreed in 1999 and published in 2000. It was superseded by a second edition from 1st November 2006. Following further review an amended version of the second edition was launched on 26th November 2008.

A Third Edition of the standard has been agreed by the UKWAS Steering Group in July 2011 and is currently undergoing conformance assessments by the Forest Stewardship Council and the PEFC Council. Subject to receipt of the necessary approvals, it will replace the second edition and it is anticipated that this will happen during December 2011.

The UK Woodland Assurance Standard is available in two easy-to-use versions:

• There is an on-line version designed for use when working on screen allowing users to navigate simply and quickly between the different sections of the certification standard. It includes a word search facility to help users quickly to find relevant sections of the certification standard
• There is a document version in pdf format which is designed for use as a portable paper document that can be downloaded and printed by the user.

Users requiring a plain text document version in MS Word format for use in preparing bespoke certification documentation can request a copy from the Support Unit.

Copies of superseded editions of the standard can be downloaded from Documents.