Green Building and Sustainable Forestry

The major market driver for forest certification in the solid wood sector over the last decade has been the green building movement. There are many credible green building rating systems that recognize the value of multiple forest certification standards, and offer credits for products certified to these forest certification standards.

While the chart details many of these standards, three programs worth noting include ANSI/GBI 01-2010 Green Building Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings, ANSI/ICC 700-2008 National Green Building Standard, and the International Green Construction Code (IgCC).

Green Building Rating Systems that recognize multiple forest certification standards. Chart courtesy of SFI Inc.

ANSI/GBI 01-2010 Green Building Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings, formerly known as Green Globes, is a standard and rating system that promotes building practices that result in energy-efficient, healthier, and environmentally sustainable buildings. One of the points available under Green Globes is awarded for the “proportion of solid lumber, engineered wood, and other wood-based products [which] originate from sustainable sources that are a third-party certified sustainable forestry program including SFI, CSA, FSC, and ATFS.”

ANSI/ICC 700-2012 National Green Building Standard, developed for residential construction by the National Association of Home Builders and the International Code Council under the ANSI standards process, is for new construction and remodeling for all residential building types including single-family, multifamily, and residential portions of mixed-use buildings. Three to four points are available for use of “wood-based products certified to the requirements of one of the following recognized product programs: ATFS, CSA, FSC, PEFC, SFI, other product programs recognized by PEFC.”

International Green Construction Code (IgCC), developed by the ICC, with support from the American Institute of Architects and ASTM International, recognizes wood and wood products labeled in accordance with “the SFI Standard, FSC Indicators of Sustainable Forestry, PEFC Technical Document or equivalent fiber procurement system.”