Upcoming Certification Standards

Current Certification Standards (2021)

These standards have been implemented for the Credential Assessment Process (CAP). Potential CAP candidates should discuss standards options with the Registrar of the FPRC association in the jurisdiction in which you wish to practice.

Applicants must select one stream of practice under Standard 8 that most closely aligns with their education and experience.

CREDENTIAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS

Introduction

An introduction to the Canadian standards for professional forester certification.

Standard 1

Foundational Studies: Knowledge of arts, science and the humanities is foundational to the practice of professional forestry.

Standard 2

Communications, Critical Reasoning and Leadership: Clear and concise oral and written communication skills are essential for Canada's professional foresters to be able to articulate goals, objectives, information and decisions to a wide range of audiences. Leadership requires the ability to effectively use communication and reasoning skills.

Standard 3

Professionalism and Ethics: Professional foresters practice with integrity, are competent, independent and accountable for their actions and decisions. They maintain professional standards and conduct based on ethical principles.

Standard 4

Trees and Stands: Knowledge of tree biology and stand structure and dynamics forms the basis for understanding how forested ecosystems function, and for predicting the effects of natural disturbances and human intervention.

Standard 5

Forested Landscapes: Knowledge of composition, structure and function of forests and urban forests at scales ranging from aggregates of stands to landscapes is essential.

Standard 6

Information Acquisition and Analysis: The management of Canada's natural resources requires the acquisition and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data.

Standard 7

Planning and Administration: Managing forest resources requires knowledge of the principles of resource allocation and the economic, policy and administrative forces that influence forest practices.

Standard 8A

Forest Management (FORM): Forest management balances ecological, social and economic demands with the capacity of forest resources to provide for present and future values.

Standard 8B

Natural Resources and Ecosystem Management (NREM): Managing natural resources requires that the provision of ecosystem services, and social and economic demands are balanced with ecosystem sustainability, including ecosystem function, and species and landscape biodiversity across a broad land base.

Standard 8C

Urban Forestry (URBF): Urban forestry is the cultivation and management of trees and forests for their contribution to the psychological, sociological and economic well-being of society and the broader environment.

Standard 8D

Forest Operations (FOPR): Forest operations management develops the skills to balance ecological, social and economic demands with the need to develop operational plans including access, harvest and post-disturbance mitigation plans that are both operationally efficient and cost effective.

Standard 8E

Ecological Restoration and Management (ERAM): Ecological restoration and management plans the recovery of functional forest ecosystems after severe disturbances to restore ecological values and social and economic uses of these forests.

Appendixes

Additional information to assist in understanding and implementing the credential standards.