The sustainability of forests has long been discussed around the world. The development and implementation of forest management plans and forest certification programs have been considered instruments to demonstrate and monitor forest sustainability goals (through, for example, on-the-ground indicators and resource assessments). Despite apparently understanding the main considerations that influence the sustainability of forests, scientists are still skeptical about evidentiary demonstrations of it being achieved. Three studies were developed within this dissertation. In the first study, an open-ended questionnaire and a mixed method analysis approach were employed to collect data from forest planners around the United States in regard to their perceptions and ways in which they incorporate sustainability concerns in forest plans. Results showed that the environmental aspect is better represented in plans than socio-economic considerations, and that professionals recognize the difficulty in incorporating sustainability concerns in plans as well as communicating these. A list of the 10 most frequently used terms in association with sustainability was obtained. In the second study, a review was conducted of five forest certification programs developed and implemented in North America and Europe to determine differences in the substantiveness of these programs. Results showed that the FSC program appears to be the most detailed and prescriptive of the five. The other four programs seemed to be less substantive and rigorous/flexible in some aspects in comparison to the FSC principles. In the third study, content analysis was employed to examine the frequency of use of terms associated with sustainability and the context in which they appear in state forest management plans. A categorical system was developed to code and to identify the extent to which dimensions of sustainability are considered in the plans. Results suggested that state forest plans include most of the terms associated with sustainability. However, certain aspects that were expected to frequently occur (best management practices, forest certification, and adaptive management) seemed underrepresented. The social consideration appeared to be the least reflected of the sustainability considerations. Discourse analysis is encouraged to understand and direct better the application and progress towards sustainability as understood by social actors in a specific context.