The Case for Certified Wood

Forest products deemed sustainable are a growing part of today's green buildings
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FSC is currently the only certified wood system accepted by LEED. Although considered the touchstone of all certification programs with the most stringent requirements, there is growing support for the sentiment that FSC should not be the only LEED-approved system. USGBC began to re-examine its wood certification in 2006, when it charged the LEED Steering Committee to study the question and propose revised credit language, if appropriate. Study has been underway ever since, with input from diverse stakeholders, and the support of experts from the Yale Program on Forest Policy and Governance and Life Cycle Assessment experts at Sylvatica. According to the newly proposed credit language, wood certification systems would be evaluated for eligibility to earn LEED points under the following categories:

  • Governance
  • Technical/Standards Substance
  • Accreditation and Auditing
  • Chain of Custody and Labeling

Wood certification programs deemed compliant would be recognized by LEED, while those not in compliance would receive an understanding of necessary modifications to receive LEED recognition. Once approved by member ballot, the revised credit language, expected in Fall 2009, becomes the basis of credits dealing with wood certification for all projects registered postcredit ratification. The credit will also be available as an alternative compliance path for all pre-LEED 2009 rating systems that include explicit reference to the FSC.

National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
In February 2008, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) unveiled its National Green Building Program. Developed by a stakeholder group of nearly 60 builders, environmentalists, government agencies and product manufacturers, the guidelines provide a national baseline for practical green building approaches for the residential construction industry and can be adapted by home builders in any region of the country. NAHB Residential rating system features standards of proof designed to make the program verifiable but not burdensome to participate in. Generally, a pre-construction plan review, site visits and documenting receipts and photographs are required, with minimal third party oversight.

Green goes mainstream.

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In terms of certified wood, the NAHB requirements are found in Section 2.6, which refers to the use of renewable materials. Section 2.6.1 awards points for materials manufactured from renewable resources, including wood-based products. Section 2.6.2 calls for the use of wood products certified by credible third party certification sources, including SFI, ATSF, CS and FSC and PEFC, and -other such credible programs as they are developed and implemented."

Green Globes
The Green Globes rating system was adapted from the Canadian version of the UK's Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREAM), and was released by the Green Building Initiative in the United States in 2005. Green Globes, which is a commercial project management tool, includes an assessment protocol, rating system and guide for integrating environmentally friendly design into commercial buildings. It also facilitates recognition of the project through third-party review and assessment. Like LEED, Green Globes awards points for sustainable design in a number of categories, specifically, site, water, energy, resources, indoor environment, emissions, effluents and other impacts and project management. References to certified wood can be found in Green Globes Commercial Section E.1, Low Impact Systems and Materials, which calls for selecting materials with the lowest life cycle burden and embodied energy for foundations, floor assemblies, columns and beams or post and beam and walls; roof assemblies; and other building envelope materials. Section E.2, Minimal Consumption of Resources, advises to "use lumber and timber panel products that originate from certified and sustainable sources." The guidelines specifically mention CSA, FSC and SFI.

After evaluating the various certification and green rating programs, a natural question might be: is there a data base that lists actual certified wood products? The Yale Program on Forest Policy and Governance suggest that potential buyers of certified products start with the following databases:

The non-profit environmental organization Metafore maintains a certified forest product search tool that enable users to find products certified under the Canadian Standards Association, Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative programs. Metafore is also working to include product data for the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. See www.metafore.org for further information.

The green building and certified wood programs are not a fad. Both have grown exponentially over recent years. With the public's increasing interest in environmentally sound structures, the move is on for architects to keep abreast of the certification programs and green rating systems to make responsible, informed choices that support sustainable building.

Located in southern Oregon since our beginnings in 1960, JELD-WEN has grown to be the world-wide industry leader in producing reliable windows and doors. JELD-WEN supports sustainable construction education, is an AIA Cornerstone member, an ENERGY-STAR Partner, and sits on the board of the Green Building Initiative (GBI). www.jeld-wen.com

 

 

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Originally published in Architectural Record
Originally published in October 2008

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