Chain of Custody Group

The Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands (TCNF) is a 501 c (3) non-profit organization based in New Gloucester, Maine that holds a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) group chain of custody certificate (SW-COC-001677).

Membership in TCNF’s group certificate is open to:

all Northeast Master Logger certified companies
wood products companies with:
- up to 15 employees or
- up to 25 employees if the annual turnover for all goods and services does not exceed $1 Million

FSC certification is an international third party auditing system of forest management and utilization practices that assesses compliance with a set of ecological, economic and social standards for responsible forestry.

Chain of custody is an information trail, established and audited according to rules set by FSC, to ensure that wood comes from certified forests.

Certified organizations are assessed and audited by certifying bodies approved by FSC. The certifying body for TCNF is SmartWood, a program of the Rainforest Alliance.

TCNF is responsible for maintaining the certification, facilitating audits, maintaining records, and assisting members with compliance with the standards.

Members are responsible for complying with approved procedures, maintaining records of purchases and sales of certified products, and assisting with monitoring and auditing visits.

Click here for member resources.

Four Steps to Chain of Custody Certification

The company contacts the Trust.
The Trust collects information on the company and their production process and uses it to develop a draft Chain of Custody Control System. The control system is a set of procedures for maintaining the product’s chain of custody through purchasing, production, and sales
An on-site visit is conducted where the chain of custody procedures are reviewed and the control system is refined.
An agreement is signed by the company and the Trust that acknowledges the responsibilities of both parties for maintaining the certification.