What do lingerie and groceries have to do with certified lumber? Take a look at the back of the latest Victoria’s Secret catalog or on the bottom of a paper bag from Safeway or Lucky’s, and you’ll see brand logos from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), respectively.
The competing lumber certification bodies—which certify working forest acreage, as well as the paper, pulp, fiber, and solid lumber goods derived from such forests—have always had a contentious relationship. But things are heating up in a brand battle that also includes certification standards under the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
Once a hard-to-find, premium-ticket item, certified lumber has become commonplace on the racks of building material retailers. Its use in the manufacture of flooring, cabinetry, doors, windows, and siding also is on the rise.
Simply put, all certified lumber carries a promise that it comes from a sustainably managed forest. Regardless of the acronym, the message is the same: Rest easy, because we didn’t clear-cut the rainforests, destroy animal habitats, or otherwise screw up the environment in the making of this product.
In the ever-greening global economy, that promise carries saleable weight, say certifiers and product distributors, and certified lumber consequently has enjoyed a surge in demand. Certified lumber also qualifies builders for points under various green building programs. As certified lumber commands more market share through these programs and increased awareness, certifiers are in a no-holds-barred wrestling match to get their brand identity front and center.
Cola Wars
The competition for visibility is an interesting one, considering that, unpromoted, certified lumber is typically sight unseen within green building projects.
In an applied setting, certified lumber does not reduce energy usage, make the building more efficient, or reduce harmful emissions. Its greenness lies in the guarantee that it comes from sustainably managed professional forests. By using it, you can earn points or credit within most green building programs, add substance to your marketing message, and feel good that you are not contributing to rainforest depletion, unfair trade practices, or the complete disregard for natural resources and virgin ecosystems.
Within a larger green building product, it gives the builder another bullet point and line item of environmental friendliness.
“We’ve spent a lot of time in the last six months making the market more aware of SFI and the benefits that the standard offers in the marketplace,” says SFI president and CEO Kathy Abusow. “Historically, SFI did not do any outreach, and a lot has changed—we became independent from the APA, we revamped our standard in 2005, and we instituted a chain-of-custody program. We want to put the word out on those successes, so we’re meeting with customers, hitting the trade shows, and making a huge push on product labeling.”
At FSC, U.S. region president Corey Brinkema has felt the market heat. “SFI is spending a considerable amount of money to create some consumer demand for its product and do what it needs to do to get credibility in the marketplace,” Brinkema says.
Brinkema counters that his organization’s partnerships have led to the appearance of the FSC moniker on Victoria’s Secret, Crate & Barrel, and Williams-Sonoma catalogs as well as the last Harry Potter book. “All of a sudden, we have the eyeballs of the American public on our brand,” he says.
Whether or not co-branding and industry outreach can conjure a dominant market share in the building materials sector remains to be seen. Collectively, SFI and FSC already account for the lion’s share of certified wood available in the United States; certified wood overall makes up about 10% of U.S. wood supplies. According to data prepared for the U.S. Green Building Council by the Yale School of Forestry, SFI-certified producers account for approximately 50% of U.S. solid wood products and 85% of U.S. panel production, while FSC remains the de facto certification body for wood not originating in North America.
Naturally, competing certifiers would have you believe their standard is the best, the largest, the fastest growing, the most preferable, the greenest. But navigating through each program’s certification criteria doesn’t reveal a clear-cut winner, even for the experts.
“All of the programs—FSC, SFI, the American Tree Farm System, the PEFC system—if you look at what happens on the ground, are today remarkably the same,” says Jim Bowyer, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota Department of Bioproducts and Bioprocess Engineering and an elected fellow of the International Academy of Wood Science, which does not endorse any particular certification standard.
“I hear that argument all the time, that it is Coke vs. Pepsi,” says Brinkema. “And I think that PEFC and the related standards of SFI and CSA would have you believe that all standards are equal. But the reality is that they could not be further apart.”
Culling the Stock
But are they? Comparative matrixes prepared by both Yale and the independent Forest Certification Resource Center show that all standards share active oversight and balanced participation from academics, industry stakeholders, and members of the conservation and environmental community.
The criteria of CSA, FSC, and SFI all touch on a broad range of forest science, environmental, social, and economic issues; are addressed by independent third-party audits; and are subject to public review. All prohibit using illegally harvested wood, and all offer chain-of-custody certification that verifies to the end users that the product they hold has been segregated from noncertified wood throughout the harvest, milling, and distribution processes. Certifiers also offer “percentage” or “mixed” chain-of-custody standards that allow for co-mingling certified and noncertified woods.
Perhaps more relevant to builders is a realization that certified lumber is ultimately just wood. “Certification does nothing to verify the durability and the strength of the lumber,” says Russell Richardson, director of industrial markets for Kenner, La.–based Southern Pine Council, which has CSA-, FSC-, and SFI-allied members but does not endorse any one certification body. “Don’t forget about the structural attributes and aesthetics of your lumber. You want wood that looks good, is durable, and is environmentally friendly.”
One core argument for certified lumber is that wood, in and of itself, is an environmentally responsible material. Within a full life-cycle assessment, wood is renewable, consumes atmospheric carbon during growth, requires comparatively little energy for harvest and manufacturing than nonorganic building materials, and is biodegradable and recyclable. Bowyer even argues that any wood professionally produced in the U.S. and Canada has already met regulations that put it within the top 5% of environmentally sustainable lumber on a global scale.
But to be sure, and to earn points for green building programs or up-sell the eco-friendliness of your product to your clients, you’ll need the appropriate product labeling.
“Definitely one of the things driving an increase in demand for certified lumber is the ability for builders to highlight its environmentally friendliness to their homeowner customers,” says Paul Novack, a product specialist for Green Depot, a green building products supplier. “With that demand, costs have come down and availability has gone up.”
To get the brand, expect in general to pay a price premium of up to 5%. Additionally, a host of products, from floor joists to replacement windows to flooring and cabinetry, are now manufactured using certified wood. Expect the typical low percentage price premium and the corresponding prevalence of the certification brand on the more wood-heavy products, like flooring.
In some categories, such as windows, you may not pay a premium at all and might even have to search a spec manual to see the certification brand.
One thing is for sure: With The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Menards, and most independent retailers now carrying a range of certified lumber products, availability should not be an issue. Ultimately, you just have to choose where your brand loyalty lies.
Chris Wood is senior editor for Multifamily Executive and Developer.
EcoTimber. Hand-Scraped hickory flooring comes in engineered multi-ply, kiln-dried, tongue-and-groove planks with beveled edges. Planks are ½ inch thick with a 5-inch face width in random lengths between 12 inches and 42 inches. The product can be used over radiant heat systems. A satin-sheen aluminum oxide–enhanced, UV-cured urethane finish is topped with scratch-resistant, hardened acrylic. FSC certified. 415.258.8454. www.ecotimber.com.
Timber Products Co. GreenT hardwood plywood panels contain no-added-urea formaldehyde and are available with several core options, including a veneer core, particleboard core, and MDF core made with 100% post-industrial recycled wood fiber. The line comes in more than 35 melamine and roll laminated wood-grains and color finishes. FSC and SFI certified. 800.547.9520. www.timberproducts.com.
Boise Engineered Wood Products. Versa-Stud laminated veneer lumber is designed for tall walls and other applications calling for strong, straight framing materials. Constructed of 1/6-, 1/8-, or 1/10-inch-thick veneers, the product uses nearly the entire timber log, compared with about 60% used in traditional framing lumber, the maker says. It is available in lengths up to 60 feet with a 11/2-inch width and depths of 3?1/2, 5?1/2, 7?1/4, 9?1/4, and 11?1/4 inches. SFI certified. 800.232.0788. www.bc.com.
Timberlake Cabinet Co. Cabinetry line of more than 190 distinct styles (including Sierra Vista, shown) is certified under the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association Environmental Stewardship Program, which awards points for woods sourced from certified forestlands. Wood doors, drawer fronts, and cabinet front frames are made from North American–grown hardwoods that are SFI, ATFS, or PEFC certified and applicable to the KCMA stewardship program. 800.967.9674. www.timberlake.com.
LP. SolidStart laminated strand lumber is available in lengths up to 64 feet and a maximum thickness of 31/2 inches. Manufactured from smaller, underused trees (primarily aspen and maple), more than 80% of the log is used in the final product, with the remaining portion used as fuel during manufacturing. Steam-injection manufacturing results in a product with greater resistance to warping, twisting, shrinking, and bowing, the maker says. SFI certified. 888.820.0325. www.lpcorp.com.
The Collins Cos. CollinsWood FSC-certified lumber includes hardwood and softwood lumber, hardwood veneer and veneer logs, and particleboard. Softwood species include ponderosa pine, white fir, sugar pine, and incense cedar and are available as specialty, pre-rip, rough-cut, and surface-sanded products. Hardwood species include oaks, poplar, maples, ash, basswood, and black cherry (shown) in rough and surfaced lumber and veneer logs. 800.329.1219. www.collinswood.com.
Roseburg Forest Products. The manufacturer’s SkyBlend no-added-urea-formaldehyde particleboard is now available FSC certified. The particleboard is made from recycled wood fiber generated when logs from the company’s FSC-certified lands are used to make lumber, plywood, or veneer. FSC SkyBlend is available in its raw form or in Duramine melamine panels and Roseburg hardwood panels. 800.347.7260. www.rfpco.com.
Ainsworth. Thermastrand radiant barrier roof sheathing is available with the FSC Mixed Sources label, which indicates the wood comes from FSC-certified well-managed forests, company-controlled sources, and/or recycled material, the maker says. Energy Star–qualified Thermastrand blocks up to 97% of the sun’s radiant heat and can provide energy savings of up to 20%, adds the firm. 877.661.3200. www.ainsworth.ca.
iLevel by Weyerhaeuser. TimberStrand laminated strand lumber is available in a broad range of products, including wall studs, rafters, beams, treated sill plate, columns, window and door headers, and concrete form board. The product is manufactured from faster growing species, including aspen and yellow poplar, and from trees not straight or large enough for conventional building products. It is available in lengths up to 64 feet, depending on product. SFI certified. 888.453.8358. www.ilevel.com.
Koetter Woodworking. The manufacturer’s line of hardwood flooring is available in nine native species, including cherry, maple, hickory, red oak, white oak, and black walnut. Panels can be plain sawn or quarter sawn, and come in a ½ inch thickness and widths from 2 inches to 7 inches. FSC certified. 812.923.8875. www.koetterwoodworking.com.
Potlatch. The company’s line of FSC-certified lumber includes 2x4 to 2x6 Douglas fir and larch dimensional framing lumber, 2x4 to 2x12 hem fir dimensional framing lumber, 2x4 to 2x6 SPF studs, 2x4 to 2x12 Southern yellow pine dimensional framing lumber, and red cedar decking, boards, and siding in a variety of widths, lengths, and depths. Certified plywood panels are also available. 509.835.1500. www.potlatchcorp.com.