Post: Results of the Eurasia Birch Wood Panel Investigation

July 30, 2026

Results of the Eurasia Birch Wood Panel Investigation

FSC and Assurance Services International (ASI) have completed the Eurasia birch wood panel transaction verification (TV) loop under FSC’s Eurasia Integrity Workplan. ASI collected and examined the transaction data of 665 certificate holders who trade in FSC-certified birch wood panels in the Eurasian region for the period between January and December 2023.

The Eurasia birch wood panel TV loop along with the birch plywood TV loop were conducted within the Eurasia Integrity Workplan. Based on the findings of the birch plywood TV loop, FSC has blocked eight certificate holders.

This article provides information about the results of the Eurasia birch wood panel TV loop.

The findings of both TV loops revealed that there is no evidence of certificate holders buying wood from Russian companies (former certificate holders) after FSC’s withdrawal from Russia in April 2022. However, Russian wood purchased prior to April 2022 and subsequently distributed to downstream certificate holders has been identified and is not considered to be a non-conformity.

Key findings of the Eurasia birch wood panel TV loop

Some Eastern European certificate holders frequently classified their material as either ‘hardwood’ or ‘softwood’, instead of indicating the species, omitting the data field altogether, or providing incorrect information. These issues were clarified during the subsequent investigation phase.

This lack of clarity undermines supply chain integrity as it may create discrepancies between available resources and the supplied volumes or enable the use of species not covered by their certification scope. Poor-quality initial data can also lead to customers misunderstanding which species are involved. As a result, investigating transactions becomes more difficult due to the lack of accurate information.

The lack of operational and organizational processes in some companies also poses a major risk to data accuracy. Human errors often occur during data submission, driven by factors such as staff turnover, insufficient understanding of FSC requirements among new employees, and occasional mistakes by experienced staff. Together, these issues can compromise data quality and result in false FSC claims.

Based on the results of this TV loop, certificate holders identified with false claims and other fraudulent behaviour are being analysed, and FSC will take strong actions against these companies.

Integrity risks found across birch-based supply chains

The findings of the Eurasia birch wood panel TV loop and the birch plywood TV loop have revealed challenges in tracing the flow of wood in the supply chains. Some certificate holders intentionally self-terminated their certificates after the launch of the TV loop (possibly to avoid the obligations to submit the requested transaction data), thereby breaking the supply chain traceability. Some certificate holders also falsified their traceability documents, facilitating the movement of non-conforming products through the supply chain.

FSC is taking a closer look at the specific certificate holders involved in the above-mentioned integrity risks and taking appropriate actions based on the findings.

Actions to strengthen birch supply chains

To strengthen FSC-certified supply chains in certain countries and of high-risk species, FSC is implementing a series of normative changes to elevate the certification system robustness at the systems level. The findings from this TV loop, along with those of the birch plywood TV loop, have provided important evidence to inform normative developments, especially key revision processes currently underway. FSC will also integrate the learnings into its broader integrity framework, including risk-based interventions and enhanced traceability solutions.

FSC has already developed the following Advice Notes:

Remove option for waiving surveillance audit (ADV-STD-20-011-12_V2-1) available on page 10 of this document.

Through this Advice Note, FSC is strengthening the supply chains of solid wood, veneer and wood panels, as well as FSC-certified bamboo products, by making annual audits mandatory for certificate holders in mainland China, even if they did not buy or sell any FSC-certified materials.

Public disclosure of ‘no FSC sales’ (ADV-STD-20-011_15_V1-0) available here.

Delivering on this Advice Note, FSC has introduced a new feature via FSC Public Search, which lists the certificate holders who reported ‘No FSC Sales’ during a specified evaluation period. 

FSC encourages certificate holders and stakeholders to check the publicly available information of organizations who declared ‘no FSC Sales’ and verify this information with their suppliers. This strengthens supply chain oversight by facilitating the detection of potentially fraudulent activities and helping prevent non-conforming birch materials from entering FSC-certified supply chains.

Background: About the Eurasia Integrity Workplan

Certified birch is predominantly sourced from certificate holders in the Eurasian region (eastern European Union and China). Amid sanctions on Russian timber, the absence of FSC certification in Russia, and sustained high global demand for birch-based wood products, birch and particularly birch plywood has emerged as a risky product group. FSC and ASI conducted two TV loops to identify the risks of non-certified birch – including Russian-origin timber post FSC’s withdrawal in April 2022 – entering FSC-certified supply chains via intermediary countries such as Latvia, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, and China.

The Eurasia Integrity Workplan aims to address the risks of FSC-certified supply chains in the Eurasian regions, especially for birch products. It includes a range of integrity measures and actions against companies engaging in fraudulent activities. In 2026, FSC and ASI launched a TV loop on certified Siberian larch supply chains to further understand the scale of trade and its integrity.

More information:

The new feature on FSC Public Search is available here.
The Eurasia birch wood panel TV loop preliminary results are available here.
The final results of the birch plywood TV loop are available here.
More information about companies FSC has blocked based on the birch plywood TV loop is available here.
The Eurasia Integrity Workplan’s progress in 2025 is available here