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| Sustainable Building Sourcebook | ||
| Chapter: Materials | ||
| Certified Wood | ||
| CSI Numbers: 06101 Certified Wood Lumber and Timbers, 06221 Certified Millwork, 06421 Certified Wood Veneer Panels, 06431 Certified Wood Stair Parts, 09641 Certified Wood Flooring | ||
| Introduction: | ||
Currently there are two primary forest management certification and product labeling operating systems in the United States. They are the Forest Stewardship Council-U.S. Working Group (FSC-US) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) of the American Forest & Paper Association. Both programs seek to advance the overarching goal of improving forest management practices in the United States; however, significant differences exist between the two. For a detailed comparison of the two systems, download the Meridian Institute's comparative analysis at: http://www2.merid.org/comparison/. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was chosen by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) as the independent forest management certification authority for the Leadership In Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System. For more insight, a critique of the SFI program and its standards is available at http://www.americanlands.org/forestweb/SFI.htm. | ||
| At-A-Glance Notes: | ||
| Technology: | ||
| Forest management certification is still in the developmental stage. | ||
| Suppliers: | ||
| http://www.certifiedwood.org/search-modules/SearchProducts.aspx | ||
| Cost: | ||
| Slightly more expensive | ||
| Public Acceptance: | ||
| N/A | ||
| Regulatory: | ||
| Chain of custody certification required for LEED documentation. | ||
| Considerations: | ||
(Excerpted from LEED TM Reference Guide 2.0) Conventional forestry practices have substantial impacts on air and water quality. Sustainable forestry practices minimize or eliminate these problems by adhering to the Forest Stewardship Council Guidelines. The intent of the guidelines is to reduce the number of products that are made from wood originating in endangered forests, to encourage the efficient use of all wood and wood fibers, to objectively access forest production practices, and to certify those production streams that comply with their criteria. FSC-Certified Forest Products are those products manufactured with wood from FSC Certified Forests. Environmental IssuesEnvironmental impacts of conventional forest practices include soil erosion, stream sedimentation, habitat destruction, water pollution, air pollution, and waste generation. The Forest Stewardship Council Guidelines incorporate several criteria that contribute to the long-term viability of certified forests. These include the preservation of natural habitat areas and the reduction of damages related to soil erosion and water pollution. Economic IssuesWorld trade in forest products has increased dramatically in the last 30 years, from $47 billion in 1970 to$139 billion in 1998. As more developing countries embrace world forest product markets and their growing economies encourage domestic consumption, the protection of endangered forests will become a critical issue. Currently, the costs of FSC-certified wood products are equal to or higher than conventional wood products. The price of FSC-certified wood products is expected to be more competitive with conventional wood products in future years as the world's forest resources are depleted and the forest industry embraces more widespread adoption of sustainable business principles. Community IssuesThrough the encouragement of responsible forest harvesting practices, local timber economies are stabilized and forest land is preserved for future generations. | ||
| Guidelines: | ||
FSC-certified wood products are available in the Austin area. For projects participating in the LEED rating system, chain of custody documentation is required to validate the authenticity as FSC-certified wood products. Certified Wood, Fig. 1
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| Resources: | ||
| General Assistance: | ||
Forest Certification Resource Center Forest Stewardship Council |
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| Components/Materials/Systems: | ||
Texas-based FSC suppliersAustin Lumber Company, Inc. Mason's Mill & Lumber Co. Moulding Associates Incorporated Steves & Sons, Inc. Texas Redwood |
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| Certified Wood Products: | ||
Greenaward Custom Woodworking Gary Weeks and Company The Home Depot |
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