To be considered "Sustainably Harvested", forest products must be part of a certification process. This is a voluntary program that  has certain criteria as well as a documentation procedure. The Forest Stewardship Council (http://www.fscus.org/) was created in 1993 "to change the dialogue about and the practice of sustainable forestry worldwide." They are responsible for the certification process now in place.

Some of the criteria that have been established to meet the certification requirements are that the practices to harvest the wood improve long-term ecological processes and productivity. Sustainable harvesting practices integrate social, economic, and ecological factors to ensure that long-term productivity is sustained for future generations while desired outputs are produced. The certification process requires that actions be analyzed at the landscape level, and not the stand level, as is common in traditional forest management.

Sustainbility goals have been adopted in the recent past, by foresters throughout the world through this voluntary program. In the program, a forest owner requests a forest inspection to determine if predefined management standards are being achieved. Products can then be eco-labeled signifying their lands are sustainably managed and their practices are environmentally acceptable. This is the start of the "Chain of Custody" process in which products are monitored to ensure customers they are receiving the true certified material.