CF Professional Standards & Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A Certified Forester discovers their employer is submitting falsified timber cruise data to a federal agency. What is the forester's primary ethical obligation?
- Report the falsification to the appropriate authority (Correct answer)
- Remain silent to protect employment
- Revise the data to be less obviously incorrect
- Delegate the matter to a junior employee
Correct answer: Report the falsification to the appropriate authority
SAF's Code of Ethics requires members to uphold public trust and report violations of law or professional standards even when it conflicts with employer interests.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes 'informed consent' in the context of a forester-client relationship?
- The client signs any contract the forester presents
- The client receives full disclosure of methods, risks, and alternatives before agreeing to services (Correct answer)
- The forester obtains verbal approval before beginning fieldwork
- The client is notified after work is completed
Correct answer: The client receives full disclosure of methods, risks, and alternatives before agreeing to services
Informed consent requires that clients understand the scope, methods, risks, and alternatives of professional services before agreeing.
Question 3: A Certified Forester is asked to perform a timber appraisal but lacks experience in that specific forest type. The most ethical action is to:
- Accept and learn on the job
- Decline or associate with a qualified colleague and disclose the limitation (Correct answer)
- Accept but charge a lower fee
- Complete the appraisal using generic regional data
Correct answer: Decline or associate with a qualified colleague and disclose the limitation
Foresters must practice only within their areas of competence and should decline or seek collaboration when a task exceeds their expertise.
Question 4: The SAF Canon that most directly addresses a forester's duty to society over individual client interests is:
- Canon 1 — Obligations to the public welfare (Correct answer)
- Canon 3 — Obligations to employers
- Canon 5 — Obligations to colleagues
- Canon 7 — Obligations to the profession
Correct answer: Canon 1 — Obligations to the public welfare
Canon 1 of the SAF Code of Ethics places the public welfare as the forester's highest obligation.
Question 5: A forester preparing an environmental impact report for a logging project should disclose that they own stock in the timber company because:
- SEC regulations require it
- The financial interest creates a conflict of interest that could bias the report (Correct answer)
- It increases the report's credibility
- Disclosure is optional but courteous
Correct answer: The financial interest creates a conflict of interest that could bias the report
A financial stake in the outcome of a professional report creates a conflict of interest that must be disclosed to maintain objectivity and public trust.
Question 6: When a forester knowingly provides professional services that support an illegal activity, they are violating which principle?
- Continuing education requirements
- Obligations to uphold the law and public welfare (Correct answer)
- Fee disclosure requirements
- Watershed management protocols
Correct answer: Obligations to uphold the law and public welfare
Foresters are ethically and professionally bound not to participate in or facilitate activities that violate applicable laws.
Question 7: Reciprocity in professional licensing most commonly refers to:
- Exchanging client referrals between foresters
- One state recognizing a license issued by another state (Correct answer)
- Mutual agreements between SAF chapters
- Sharing continuing education credits across disciplines
Correct answer: One state recognizing a license issued by another state
Reciprocity allows a professional license holder in one state to obtain licensure in another state based on equivalent qualifications.
CF Professional Standards & Ethics 2
A Certified Forester discovers their employer is submitting falsified timber cruise data to a federal agency.
What is the forester's primary ethical obligation?