Members of the SFI Board of Directors are proven leaders – they include forest sector representatives, as well as academics, wildlife ecologists, government officials, landowners, forest professionals and tree farmers. They are fully independent and accountable, and represent environmental, economic and social interests equally. The board sets and implements the SFI forest standard following a public review, and it is the only body that can modify the standard.

Independent, accredited certification bodies with appropriate knowledge and skills conduct the thorough, consistent audits needed to make sure forest operations meet SFI's comprehensive standard requirements. They start by examining internal records; then visit the sites to see what is happening in the forest. If they are not satisfied the performance meets SFI Standard requirements, they will not issue an SFI certificate.

Consumers who want to make responsible buying decisions welcome advice about the choices available to them. They seek out expert guidance from respected and independent organizations that can deliver well-researched, rational and recent data. They rely on these objective facts to support credible claims.