A document that tracks the movement of a wood product from the forest to a vendor and is used to verify compliance with FSC guidelines. A "vendor" is defined as the company that supplies wood products to project contractors or subcontractors for on-site installation.
The step-by-step verification process through which products are traced from their origin to the final end product. For paper this means the forests to the finished product.
Protocol established to maintain integrity and confidentiality of all samples submitted. Chain-of-Custody begins with the collection procedure but must be maintained throughout shipping, testing, result reporting and record/specimen storage.
Verified chain-of-custody systems are used to prove that wood comes from certified forests. If extended to mill and product level, such systems enable forest certification labelling. Chain-of-custody systems are established and audited according to rules set by the relevant forest certification system, for example PEFC or FSC.
The traceablility of the origins of a product through all its transformations from raw material to finished product. In the SCA context, Chain-of-Custody certification traces forest products back to their origin in SCA's FSC-certified forests.