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A quick guide to strategic product selection
What to look for when purchasing lumber
Labels/certifications
Sustainable forest certification programs provide a structured framework that typically categorize timber harvesting according to three verified classes pertaining to its production circumstances:
- Legally sourced wood
- Legally sourced wood from a site where a program to achieve sustainability is being implemented (transition wood)
- Legally sourced wood from a forest that has been certified as sustainably managed
A “green” label on wood products ensures that the wood has been harvested according to strict standards and its manufacturer is audited to ensure standards are continually met.
However, the fact that a wood product is certified or labeled with a "green" label does not necessarily mean that it comes from an ecologically well-managed forest. There are now various types of forest certification schemes but most do not have meaningful environmental standards, enforcement mechanisms, or methods of tracking the wood through the supply chain to keep out illegally logged material and prevent misrepresentation.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
FSC is the only forest certification system endorsed by the major environmental groups, including Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, the World Wildlife Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Rainforest Action Network, and many others.
There are now over 2,000 FSC certified companies worldwide. Over 45 million hectares of forest have been certified, in 69 countries, across 5 continents.
The FSC label
The FSC label on a product ensures that the product was manufactured and brought to you according to a set of principles that were developed by a variety of stakeholders and are closely monitored. FSC’s principles and criteria for certification revolve around the following six stipulations:
- Prohibition of the conversion of forests or any other natural habitat
- Respect of international workers rights
- Prohibition of the use of hazardous chemicals
- Respect of human rights with particular attention to indigenous peoples
- No corruption – all applicable laws are followed
- Identification and appropriate management of areas that need special protection (e.g. cultural or sacred sites, habitat of endangered animals or plants)
FSC “Chain of Custody” (COC) certification versus the FSC label
Many companies have a FSC "Chain of Custody" (COC) certification, which gives them the right to buy and sell FSC certified wood. However, this does not mean that these companies exclusively sell FSC certified wood or that if you buy from them, you will receive FSC certified wood. If you are purchasing what you believe is FSC certified wood, but there are no FSC logos on the product packaging, it most likely is not certified, no matter what the rest of the information provided by the manufacturer or supplier might indicate (brochures, etc.).
So remember: just because a company brochure or a display shows the FSC logo does NOT mean the wood product you are buying is FSC – it only means that the manufacturer is licensed to produce FSC flooring. Ensure that the packaging on your material has the FSC label.
The Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF)
The Tropical Forest Foundation is a non-profit, educational institution dedicated to the conservation of tropical forests through sustainable forestry. TFF recognizes companies that can verify legality and demonstrate a standard of forest management that qualifies under the TFF Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) Standard, a transparent system for verifying compliance with TFF principles.
A "TFF Legal Verified with Chain of Custody" label can also be granted by TFF when a company meets minimum entry level requirements, including a third-party verification of legality and COC systems, and an action plan to implement RIL. In this case, the company will have a TFF approved label that relates only to the legality and COC issue.
Labels that do not indicate sustainable forestry include:
SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative)
- Founded and dominated by the timber industry
- Weak environmental protections
- Allows conversion of natural forests (including old-growth) into tree farms
- No mandatory Chain of Custody to keep out illegal wood
CSA (Canadian Standards Association)
- Allows conversion of natural forests (including old-growth) into tree farms
- Fails to protect "First Nations" (i.e. the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis people)
PEFC (Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification)
- Weak environmental standards
- No mandatory Chain of Custody
- Mutually recognizes virtually all forest certification systems, including SFI and CSA
- PEFC wood could come from almost any source
ISO (International Standards Organization)
- Standards address manufacturing practices, not forest management
IBAMA (Program of the Brazilian Government)
- Low environmental standards, poorly enforced
- No Chain of Custody
- Many reports of corruption
Region
North American and Western European woods are more likely to have been harvested responsibly than are tropical woods or woods from Eastern Europe or Siberia (see below for endangered and threatened species).
If you must choose tropical wood, keep in mind that responsible forestry is much more widespread in Latin America than it is in Africa, Southeast Asia, or Indonesia, so it's generally advisable to avoid species from those areas (for example, Teak, Merbau, Kempas, Wenge, Doussie, Iroko and Sapele) unless they are FSC certified.
Species
Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock Western Red Cedar
According to Greenpeace, Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock and Western Red Cedar come from managed plantations across Europe or – usually the case for Western Hemlock and Western Red Cedar – from North America’s costal rainforests, entailing destruction of ancient forests and threatened ecosystems. Avoid sourcing these species from Canada if you cannot get an FSC certified product (see Greenpeace’s Good Wood Guide for details).
Brazilian Cedar
According to Greenpeace, two Cedrela species are listed as endangered and one as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The use of such species should be avoided at all costs.
Burmese Teak/Genuine Teak
According to Greenpeace, Burma is the only country that still exports teak from natural forests. Between 1999 and 2000 over half the teak exported from Burma was logged illegally and the sale of teak is a key source of foreign currency for Burma’s military dictatorship (see Greenpeace’s Good Wood Guide for details).
North American Beech
North American beech is depleted and its purchase should be avoided.
Toxicity
Toxicity in wood is typically found in composite wood products (e.g. hardwood plywood, particleboard, and medium density fiberboard) and pressure treated lumber made for outdoor applications.
Composite wood products & formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is produced on a large scale worldwide. One major use includes the production of wood binding adhesives and resins. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently evaluated formaldehyde exposure in California and found that one of the major sources of exposure is from inhalation of formaldehyde emitted from composite wood products containing urea-formaldehyde resins.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reclassified formaldehyde from "probably carcinogenic to humans" to "carcinogenic to humans" in 2004, based on the increased risk of nasopharyngeal cancer. Formaldehyde was also designated as a toxic air contaminant (TAC) in California in 1992 with no safe level of exposure. State law requires the CARB to take action to reduce human exposure to all TACs.
Accordingly, staff of the CARB conducted a formal rulemaking process to address formaldehyde exposure from composite wood products. On April 26, 2007, ARB approved an airborne toxic control measure (ATCM) to reduce formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products, including hardwood plywood, particleboard, medium density fiberboard, thin medium density fiberboard (thickness ≤ 8mm), and also furniture and other finished products made with composite wood products.
When purchasing composite wood products like plywood, particleboard and MDF, ensure that you specify that the product is free from formaldehyde, especially urea-formaldehyde.
Pressure treated lumber & CCA
Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) is a chemical wood preservative containing chromium, copper and arsenic. CCA is used in pressure treated wood to protect the wood from rotting due to insects and microbial agents. Due to its toxicity, the U.S. EPA has classified CCA as a “restricted use product,” for use only by certified pesticide applicators.
CCA has been used to pressure treat lumber since the 1940s. Since the 1970s, the majority of the wood used in outdoor residential settings has been CCA-treated wood. Effective December 31, 2003, no wood treater or manufacturer may treat wood with CCA for residential uses, with certain exceptions.
There are several arsenic-free wood pressure treatment alternatives to CCA already on the market including ACQ, Borates, Copper Azole, Cyproconazole, and Propiconazole.
Durability
The more durable the wood, the longer it will last and the less wood the world will need from our forests. The hardness of wood is measured using the Janka hardness test. Janka involves measuring the force required to embed a 11.28 millimeter (0.444 inch) steel ball into wood to half its diameter. It is one of the best measures of the ability of a wood species to withstand denting and wear. It is also a good indicator of how hard a species is to saw or nail.
In high traffic applications, it is best to select harder woods. Oak would be a minimum (1290 on the Janka scale) while the harder exotics (2000+ Janka hardness) or Ecotimber woven bamboo (about 3000 Janka hardness) are the best choices from a durability standpoint.
Environmental impacts of lumber use
Clearcutting
The impacts associated with large-scale clearcutting of natural forests include but are not limited to:
Ancient forest depletion
Ancient or “old-growth” forests contain rare species and some of the most vital ecosystems on earth. If the remaining old-growth forests continue to be harvested at the rate they are today, gloabl effects will be devastating. The results of the depletion of these essential areas of the planet include but are not limited to:
- Extreme habitat damage
- Reduction of biodiversity
- The release of carbon into the atmosphere
Illegal logging
The United States Agency for International Development estimates that 50% of the hardwood imported into the U.S. comes from illegal logging. Logging that is not regulated by law – much less by stewardship councils – involves some of the most destructive logging practices in the world, largely entailing cut-and-run logging where there is no attempt at forest management and a high degree of ecosystem abuse.
Illegal logging is most widespread in the tropics, but it is also a serious problem in the Russian Far East and parts of Eastern Europe. Illegal wood is sometimes consumed in the country of origin, but it is often laundered through international trade and manufacturing and imported into Europe and North America as finished products like decking, flooring, plywood, and furniture.
Today, about a third of the world’s illegal wood is processed in China. From 1997 to 2006, exports of manufactured wood products from China to the U.S. increased by 1000%. Much of China’s imported wood comes from Russia, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
Global warming
When forests are cleared, they release enormous amounts of carbon into the air. In fact, deforestation and the burning of tropical forests is the second leading cause of global warming. Such practices are responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than all cars, trucks, ships, trains and other forms of transportation combined.
Why is forest conservation necessary to our survival?
Carbon reservoir
Ancient forests like North America’s Boreal and South America’s Amazon, are of critical importance to all living things, especially to us. The trees and peatlands that make-up these old growth forests comprise one of the world's largest "carbon reservoirs." That is, carbon is stored in the forest and not released into the atmosphere, thus helping stabilize our climate.
Biodiversity
The ancient forest ecosystem also supports a natural food web, complete with large carnivores like bears, wolves and lynx along with thousands of other species of plants, mammals, birds and insects.
Water source
With its wetlands filtering millions of gallons of water each day, the Boreal forest, for example, contains 80% of the Earth's unfrozen freshwater.
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