Management Certification is an important activity at the international level, especially in the trade of timber products. Implementation of Forest Management Certification by the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia is a voluntarily disclose for its genuine commitment to the importance of maintaining the forest resources of the country, particularly in areas of the Permanent Reserved Forest (PRF) under the Sustainable Forest Management Practices (SFM).

At present there are two (2) organizations that certify forest certification at the international level which are Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). In Peninsular Malaysia, the Forest Management Certification is based on PEFC that is carried out by the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) using standard Malaysian Criteria and Indicators for Forest Management Certification (Natural Forest) [MC&I (Natural Forest)]. The assessment carried out for the purpose of Forest Management Certification is basically done by independent assessors who will carry out an assessment on every activities of forest management in the Forest Management Unit (FMU). This independent assessment is to avoid biasness and thus will enhance the image and credibility of forestry institutions. It is also a way to inform Malaysians about the actions taken by the Government through the Department of Forestry to achieve SFM. It is in the context of transparency and accountability.

The initiative to implement the forest management certification in Peninsular Malaysia began in 1994 under the ITTO Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management, published in 1992. This standard has been tested in the state of Pahang, Selangor and Terengganu through a pilot project in collaboration of Malaysia - Netherlands. Then, in 2001 Malaysian Criteria, Indicators, Actitivies and Standards of Performance (MC&I) documents has been published for Forest Management Certification in Peninsular Malaysia. This standard is better known as MC&I (2001) containing Criteria, Indicators, Activities and Standards of Performance as follows:

Under the MC&I (2001) standard, the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia has obtained Forest Management Certification in 2002 through five (5) FMU namely Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Selangor and Terengganu. This was followed by Johor and Kedah FMU in 2003 and Kelantan FMU in 2004.

In line with the standard of international practice, a review of certification has been made to ensure that improvements are made continuously. Implementation of the revised standard is implemented by a Review Committee consisting of groups of stakeholders, each representing social (indigenous peoples and trade unions), interest groups on the environment and the economy, and government agencies in connection of three regions of Malaysia, namely Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.

MC&I (2001) standard was later improved to consider a more reasonable and comprehensive requirements of environmental protection, ecological, social and biological diversity and it is known as the Malaysian Criteria and Indicators for Forest Management Certification [MC&I (2002)]. MC&I (2002) was first adopted in 2005. In summary MC&I (2002) contains Principles, Criteria, Indicators and Verifiers are as follows:

On January 13, 2012 Malaysian Criteria and Indicators for Forest Management Certification (Natural Forest) [MC&I (Natural Forest)] which has been improved were issued to replace the MC&I (2002). MC&I (Natural Forest) come into force on July 1, 2012. In summary, Principles, Criteria, Indicators and Verifiers under standard MC&I (Natural Forest) for Peninsular Malaysia are as follows:

In 2015, the review process to improve MC&I (Natural Forest) was implemented starting on 16 November 2015, and the final draft of the new standard was finalized and adopted by the Fifth SRC Meeting and subsequently approved by the MTCC Board of Trustees on 5 March 2020. Malaysian Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management (MC&I SFM) is the new standard that will replace MC&I (Natural Forest). It is expected that this standard will enter into force starting on 31 August 2021. This standard replaces MC&I (Natural Forest) and MC&I Forest Plantation.v2 as the standard to be used for forest management certification for natural forests and forest plantations in Malaysia. Therefore, the Principles, Criteria, Indicators and Verifiers under the MC&I SFM standard are as follows:

Until today, six (6) FMU that are Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Selangor and Terengganu have been awarded the Certificate for Forest Management until 2020 involving PRF area of 3.71 million hectares.

Improvement of the standard document Forest Management Certification in Peninsular Malaysia

 Certification For Forest Management (Natural Forest)