Forest Stewardship Council: FSC®-Certified Wood in Construction and Green Building
Learning Objectives:
- Explain why FSC-certified building products are key to green buildings that benefit both building occupants and the environment, and why building professionals play an important role in promoting responsible forest management in North America and beyond.
- Describe what to look for in a leading forest certification system when specifying responsibly-sourced wood products, including potential contribution toward LEED and Living Building Challenge certification of a project.
- Review the rules for how FSC-certified wood works in the LEED green building rating system, clarify the differences between LEED 2009 standards and LEED v4 as it relates to FSC, and understand how FSC is credited in other leading green building programs in North America.
- Identify the tools, strategies and resources that building professionals can use to encourage market transformation and sustainability of the forest products industry, including both environmental benefits as well as benefits to the built environment for end users.
Credits:
This course is approved as a Structured Course
This course can be self-reported to the AANB, as per their CE Guidelines
Approved for structured learning
Approved for Core Learning
This course can be self-reported to the NLAA
Course may qualify for Learning Hours with NWTAA
Course eligible for OAA Learning Hours
This course is approved as a core course
This course can be self-reported for Learning Units to the Architectural Institute of British Columbia
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification has been a leading driver of global forest conservation since 1994, and the green building movement is a cornerstone of its success. The US Green Building Council’s LEED rating system and the designers, specifiers and builders who apply LEED standards play a critical role, as doing so rewards and promotes forest conservation.
Other FSC market drivers, such as Living Building Challenge, regional green building programs, and high volume purchasing by major retailers all work together to expand the marketplace and make finding FSC building products easier. Through this course, you will learn why FSC products are a crucial conservation tool, how they integrate with broader green building standards, and how to identify, procure and properly document them to earn credit in green building programs.
Photo © Bryan Daughterty