FSC-US Standards Revision Process: Background 
Methodology Overview
The complete results of the standard review can be found here.
The results of the Standard Review were released for a 60-day review and comment period. The FSC-US standards committee, based on the review and comments received, charted a course to revise the regional standards. The methodology developed can be downloaded here.
In summary, the methodology sets forth the following elements for revising the FSC-US regional standards.
Resolution of Key Issues
Scope of the revision
Indicators will be edited or revised to give clear guidance to landowners, provide a means for assessment, provide logical or scientific requirements and incorporate all credible new issues and concerns. The revision will avoid rewriting Indicators. The process will strive to edit Indicators to be more functional unless the standards review or stakeholder comments demonstrated the necessity for substantive change.
Process for revising standards
The revision process will clearly delineate between a crafting process and a consultation process. Details are presented in the methodology.
National Standard
A National Standard will be developed with regional variation preserved for indicators where there are clear differences of intent of the Indicator between different regions found between the current regional standards. The indicators that were identified as requiring regional variation are Criteria 5.2, 5.6, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 8.2, 9.1, 9.3, 10.2, 10.4, 10.5.
Family Forest Program
Family Forest Indicators will be developed and incorporated into the national standard. A companion guidance document that elaborates on intent and offers specific guidance to landowners and foresters will also be developed.
High Conservation Value Forests
The development of an HCVF framework that supports the implementation of Principle 9.
Compliance at the Criterion level and conforming to all Indicators
The standards will be revised to meet current FSC policy requirements to meet compliance at the Criterion and Indicator level.
Guidance and Intent notes
The national standard will expand the use of guidance and intent notes to facilitate understanding and interpretation of the standards.
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