On Purchasing Sustainably Harvested Wood

Business-ethics.com recently responded to a reader who asked the question, “Which woods can I purchase without harming forests?” The short answer is, of course, to look for sustainably harvested woods, or even to seek out salvaged or reclaimed wood.

Because, as the article states, “Wood products are essential to modern life. Without wood we wouldn’t have the buildings, furniture, paper and other essentials we make use of every day. That’s why protecting sources of wood has become a leading concern among not just environmentalists but everyone else as well.”

Schutte Lumber carries lumber certified by the nonprofit Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), so you can trust products carrying the FSC stamp were “harvested sustainably and are not contributing to deforestation-related woes. If you don’t see the FSC logo, you should inquire as to where the wood came from and whether or not it was harvested sustainably.”

For more information, see “Which Woods Can I Purchase?” on Business-ethics.com.

Eco-Labels 101

Thanks to our friends at Inhabitat.com for enlightening their readers as to the mechanics behind the ever-evolving list of green certifications out there. See their excerpt below for explanations:

FSC CERTIFIED (Forest Stewardship Council) – This certification accredits forest managers, manufacturing companies, and controlled wood products that exhibit responsible consumption of forest products. FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization and the certification is completely voluntary. (Schutte Lumber uses FSC-Certified wood!)

SCS CERTIFIED calCOMPLIANT – Specifically focused on composite wood products, this label verifies that standards set by the California Air Resources Board are being met. Compliance requires that the producers or plywood, particleboard, MDF, and other composite products meet the limits for formaldehyde emissions.

RAINFOREST ALLIANCE CERTIFIED – This certification body has a variety of verification services for wood products under their SmartWood program. This program includes the FSC Certification standard, but has other specific compliance categories that concern supply chains, carbon validation, reclaimed and recycled wood, and logging.

PROCESSED CHLORINE FREE & TOTALLY CHLORINE FREE – These accreditations from the not-for-profit Chlorine Free Products Association (CFPA) are meant to distinguish paper products that do not use chlorine or chlorine compounds in the processing. Chlorine-free processing can aid in keeping rivers and water supplies clean. The Processed Chlorine Free label is reserved for recycled content paper with at least 30% post consumer content.

What is Certified Lumber?

“Of all the terminology used when discussing green products, sustainability might be most often misunderstood. Sustainability has been defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; a definition created in 1987 at the World Commission on Environment and Development, a division of the United Nations,” according to a recent article in Residential Design & Build magazine.

Which brings us to the next question. Is Certified Lumber sustainable, and how can consumers be certain?

The most important point, according to Ray Tonjes, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Green Building Subcommittee is that: “Lumber certification alleviates concerns about mismanaged forests that contribute to soil erosion, loss of wildlife, and the clear cutting of old-growth forests.”

Futhermore, according to RD&B, “To measure the sustainability level of lumber, two main attributes are evaluated: harvesting and chain of custody. The harvesting process is evaluated based on how trees are planted, grown, cut down and renewed to ensure the long-term health and existence of a forest. Chain of custody tracks exactly who or which company touched a piece of lumber, tracing it back to the company that employed the person or machine that cut down the tree. ‘Chain of custody is important because it guarantees a link from the product to the forest it came from,’ says Kathy Abusow, president and CEO, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, a program based on the premise that responsible environmental behavior and sound business decisions can co-exist.”

Schutte Lumber is proud to offer lumber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and independent, third-party organization that certifies and establishes guidelines for forests and how they are managed. It’s also one of the most recognized logos to look for when searching for sustainable lumber.

The FSC seal certifies that lumber not only was harvested in a sustainable manner, but also guarantees the chain of custody down the supply chain. Want to know more? Check out “What is Certified Lumber?”

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