MFL Certified Group Acknowledgement
Landowners become “MFL Certified Group Members” when they choose to enroll their Managed Forest Law (MFL) orders in the MFL Certified Group. These landowners commit themselves to going above and beyond what is required to comply with MFL. Participation in the MFL Certified Group is entirely voluntary and allows MFL forest products to be sold as “certified.”
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) must ensure that MFL Certified Group members understand certification requirements and freely agree to meet them when they sign up for the MFL Certified Group.
As a landowner contemplating joining the MFL Certified Group, please read the summarized requirements below. If you agree to them and wish to join the MFL Certified Group, please indicate this when completing the MFL Application, MFL Transfer or MFL Certified Group Application.
MFL Certified Group members agree to the following:
- Participation in the MFL Certified Group is voluntary and does not impact enrollment in MFL. There is no cost to the landowner to join the group. The DNR's Division of Forestry is the main contact for certification under this group.
- MFL Certified Group members shall abide by the MFL Certified Group rules as well as the American Tree Farm System® (ATFS) and Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) forest certification standards.
- MFL Certified Group members shall notify the DNR if the land they propose to enter in the MFL Certified Group is currently or was previously part of a different FSC or ATFS Certified Group.
- Certified MFL lands may be subject to internal and/or external audits to evaluate conformance to forest certification standards. Group members agree to allow the DNR, third-party certifying bodies, FSC, ATFS and accreditation bodies to fulfill their responsibilities. These responsibilities require access to documentation and MFL land for purposes of certification auditing.
- The DNR, third-party certifying bodies and accreditation bodies will publish summary reports of their evaluations. ATFS and FSC will include information about the MFL Certified Group in their databases.
- If a MFL Certified Group member’s actions or land management practices do not conform to certification standards, the DNR may require corrective actions and/or preventive measures.
- Failure to abide by MFL Certified Group rules and/or forest certification standards, or failure to implement corrective actions and preventive measures, may result in removal from the group. Removal from the MFL Certified Group does not impact MFL enrollment.
- Group members receive the privileges of membership in the American Tree Farm System®.
The American Tree Farm System® (ATFS) and the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC), under which the MFL Certified Group is dually certified, have standards both for forest management and for group operations and organization. These standards are the foundation for the forest certification requirements under the MFL Certified Group. The points above are specifically identified in the ATFS and FSC Group Standards for Group members’ awareness and acknowledgment.
The full scope of forest certification requirements, policies, and procedures is available by consulting: