Use of Sustainably Harvested Wood
The history of lumber harvest in the United States is long and complicated. On one hand, the relentless removal of the aboriginal forests built great cities and industries and made way for the agricultural abundance necessary for building a nation. On the other hand, the destruction of the aboriginal forests in all regions of the country was for the most part wanton, complete, and without regard for ecological, biological, and human costs.
As a nation we have moved beyond the idea of limitless resources. Wood can be used in an ecologically conscious manner through sustainable harvesting and replanting, along with a commitment to building methods that produce structures with greater longevity than the growth periods of the trees from which they are built. A sustainably harvested forest is one in which the forestry practices are continuously monitored and improved to ensure the present and future quality of both the wood resource and the forest itself. This approach includes consideration of the economic and social impacts on the communities involved and the protection of regional biological diversity.
Sustainably harvested wood can often be obtained for the same price as lumber harvested by environmentally damaging methods such as clear-cutting. By specifying the use of sustainably harvested woods for a building project, you are helping to raise awareness and increase market demand. Specifying sustainably harvested wood can be done by describing the standards the wood must meet in order to be classified as sustainable, or more simply by listing local suppliers of wood that has been reputably certified. In residential construction, where the builder may not have a sizable research and purchasing department, the second method is more effective.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a leading international organization that sets standards for sustainability and accredits third-party, independent certifiers. In the
US there are currently nine organizations that are FSC accredited. These include the Smart- Wood Certification Program and Scientific Certifications Systems (SCS). The Certified Forest Products Council has now become Metafore. It is a nonprofit organization that provides information on sources for purchasing FSC certified wood, with state-by-state listings and more than 4,500 certified locations on its website. It also provides sample specification language tailored for use in the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) Master Format.
Home Depot, the worlds largest buyer of forestry products, adopted the FSC principles in 2001 and Lowes, the worlds second largest buyer, soon followed suit. Both now offer FSC products in a relatively wide range.
