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The
uses and applications for wood are exciting and vast. To narrow the
focus of this document, we focused on interior wood applications, for
wall panels, furniture, cabinetry etc., considering the typical
applications of those materials and dividing the topics into two
distinct categories, Solid lumber and Composite materials.
Lumber - solid wood and veneer used for structural
and visible surfaces such as: framing, interior finish and furnishings.
Composites - chips, particulates and/or thinly sliced
wood or agriculturally produced fibers mechanically pressed and
chemically bonded together to create products such as plywood, MDF,
particle-board, wheat board, Dakota Burl (sunflower board).
For information on Composites - See Substrates Composite Panels.
All lumber originates from a forest yet, tracing a particular flitch of lumber to its origins can be very difficult. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has developed a system to do just this, utilizing a system referred to as the Chain-of-Custody. Lumber and composite products can both qualify for the FSC stamp of approval, although there are different rules and categories of FSC qualification, based upon percent content of FSC certified wood products. For more info see Links. Utilizing third party independent certifiers; forests, mills and wood product distributors can prove through documentation that the source of a particular wood flitch or more appropriately that the forest of origin utilized Sustainable Forestry Practices. For more info see Links. There is a distinct difference between Sustainable forestry, and Sustainable harvest. Simply, Sustainable Harvest refers to wood products that are planted much like a crop whereas Sustainable Forestry offers a greater responsibility to the long term viability to the forest, the ecosystem and the human community that relies on the forest for survival.
Please note: There are several organizations that utilize different standards, principles and definitions for the common goal of the responsible use of the earth’s greatest resource, our forests. Standards goals and commercial interests do interfere with some standards. Currently the FSC is the highest standard and the only one recognized by the USGBC for LEED Credits. (For more info on the other certifiers and standards see Metafore and A Comparative Analysis of International Forestry Schemes under links.)
Availability
The good news is that FSC has gained greater recognition and a wider
audience.
FSC hardwood lumber and veneer still have limited availability at this
writing, but for consumers, companies such as Home Depot ( See Collins
Pine under on Links)
have risen to the cause and now offer supplies of FSC certified
dimensional lumber and composite panel materials. Many forests are in
the process of becoming FSC Certified vastly expanding the offering of
products available to consumers, yet there are some inhibitors to the
adoption of an International FSC Standard. Certain governments with
very high forestry standards do not feel it necessary to be monitored
by third party certifiers, some not willing to look at the humanitarian
aspects of forestry, and other nations simply do not have the
infrastructure to support the monitoring of forests while other needs
are more pressing. Then there is the simple problem of supply and
demand and the forces of nature. Maple for example should only be
harvested in fall or winter when the sap is frozen. Once the seasonal
harvest is sold, it may be another year before a ready supply of FSC
certified forested maple lumber or veneer is available. When specifying
it is always good to request recent information- regarding the current
availability of specific wood species, qualities, and quantities.
Currently North American species such as Cherry, Red Oak, and Maple are
available in both hardwood lumber and veneer; lengths and cuts and
figure qualities will vary. Lead time can be an important factor as
well. The design team must be prepared to convince building owners to
purchase in advance and or stock pile FSC lumber or veneer to ensure
that consistent architectural grade quality will be available at the
time of installation, especially for large projects. FSC certified
recon veneer to the best of our knowledge is not available at this
time. Brookside Veneer does offer SGS certified recon veneer
manufactured from plantation grown Italian Poplar not LEED recognized.
Expanding the
design pallet to utilize alternative species is a key strategy to
building “Green” and supporting the efforts of those that practice
responsible forestry.
New resources for FSC Certified lumber and veneer from Brazil have
recently become available and are good substitutions for more commonly
specified species. For example, Jatoba commonly referred to as
Brazilian Cherry was specified by Design Workshops for the James H.
Clark Center in 2004 for Stanford University. (View
PDF.)FSC certified veneer species such as Amapa, Ucuuba,
Tauari Vermelho, and Cupiuba are now available and may soon become
common to Architects and Specifiers as Designers seek documented
sustainable choices. This brings up the issue of tropical woods, to
quote Lewis Buchner CEO of EcoTimber, “There are no bad species, only
bad forest management.” Knowing ones source for tropical woods is key,
understanding the method of accreditation for the source is extremely
important. Environmental groups struggle with these topics and how to
approach them, for example an opinion published by Rainforest
Relief (See Rainforest Relief under Links)
debates the effectiveness of FSC certification and the impact of
loggers penetrating virgin rainforest to meet the new demand for
product, even offering a list of species to avoid and options.
Additionally, certain species of lumber or veneer are listed and
recognized as endangered or threatened. (See CITES under Links) It is often difficult
to understand which species are listed as endangered and what this
means exactly. (i.e. endangered, but only in certain territories or
subspecies such as mahogany. See: Chronology of American Mahoganies
CITES Listing under Links).
Some tropical species of wood are being plantation farmed and are now
available as FSC certified. Then again, a recent and highly promoted
effort to provide a sustainable option as plantation farmed Eucalyptus
for a product trademarked as Lyptus, was rejected for FSC certification
due to the environmental and social impacts to the local population of
Brazil. This is under review, a resolution still pending. On an upbeat
note the current use of materials such as Bamboo, not considered a wood
but a grass, has demonstrating wide spread acceptance for use as
flooring, once an exotic-now a fantastic and affordable option for the
average consumer. Seeking information can be tedious as many websites
and search engines will advertise the availability of numerous FSC
cert. species in order to get your business, while never updating,
listing, nor responding to requests for information about live
inventories of product. This not only frustrates but discourages
designers. We suggest you avoid those websites.
For now, the consensus is that FSC certification currently provides the
best strategy for responsibly managing forest product sources. When
considering which wood to specify, it is always best to ask a trusted
source, and then cross reference with reliable sources. Design
Workshops offers direct support by researching and suggesting current
appropriate FSC product offerings via telephone or email inquiries, as
well as offering reference to the following trusted resources. For
local current FSC hardwood lumber information see Earthsource
and Ecotimber under Links
for flooring.
Local Salvage
Designers and Architects often ask if trees felled on-site can be used
for veneer in their interiors projects. Locally in California, this is
often cost prohibitive, as the nearest qualified veneer slicing mills
are located in Oregon and shipping logs north slicing and returning is
usually a budget breaker. Whereas for solid lumber, on rare occasions
this may be an option, for information on this valuable resource
contact the P.A.L. Foundation/ The/East Bay Conservation Corp.
For more info see Links.
The yield and quality must be closely inspected and supervised for
salvaged lumber, posing a challenge to actual cost savings; as it may
actually cost more to provide this service than to just purchase ready
to build lumber. None the less, this is a valid and often artistic
environmental strategy. As an example, Design Workshops in it’s current
work for Macromedia Headquarters in San Francisco used a substantive
quantity of used Douglas Fir Beams that were salvaged from the building
itself. They were utilized in the Reception desk and Kiosk on the
ground floor. The high cost of: transporting, metal detecting,
rough/finish milling of the salvaged material was equivalent to the use
of new lumber.
Budget Impacts
Cost of material generally constitutes a reasonably small portion of
the actual cost of manufacturing a wood product, compared to
experienced labor, and overhead. There are three categories of
materials: veneer, solid lumber and substrate or
composites. As stated in Veneer/budgeting the actual cost of
veneer is only 1%-1.5% of the actual cost of the finished installed
panel. FSC certified veneer generally has little or no impact to this
cost, and new species of FSC veneers now available from Brazil, may
actually produce some cost savings. Solid lumber on the other hand can
affect the pricing a bit more dramatically. Currently solid stock FSC
Maple and Cherry dimensional lumber cost approximately the same
although FSC Cherry has greater yield and availability. As for
composites, the discussion gets a bit more technical regarding choice
of material vs. appropriate “Green” selection which leads to cost
implications, Please See: Substrates
Composite Panels for a more thorough discussion. For
documented project cost impacts see Case Studies: The David
and Lucille Packard Foundation Report by Hawley Peterson and
Snyder.
FSC Updates
At the time of this writing, categorical changes were made to the
designation of FSC Certified Product to expand the range of products
available to the consumer that supported sustainable forestry
practices. The changes are outlined below as provided by the FSC at
their new website (See Links).
Most of this information pertains to composities. These changes were
responded to by the USGBC in the New Construction LEED Version 2.2 This
is currently under review by the USGBC. Information regarding the
credits is located at LEED
info, or for the USGBC website (See Links).
New FSC
On-Product Labels
The FSC labels identify products that support responsible forest
management. Companies wanting to use the new FSC labels need to contact
their FSC accredited certification body. Companies must be FSC chain of
custody certified in order to use the FSC labels on their FSC products.
In October 2004, FSC introduced new on-product labels with more
categories and product variety distinctions. These labels,
presented below, are being phased in during 2005
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FSC
Pure Label This FSC product group contains 100% FSC certified material. Products with a 100% FSC label come from forests certified as meeting the environmental and social standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). |
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FSC
Mixed Sources Label This FSC product group contains a mixture of FSC certified material and/or reclaimed material and/or company controlled sources. Products with a Mixed Sources label support responsible forest management. Companies have the option to include a recycling symbol on the label to identify the post-consumer content. |
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FSC
Recycled Label This FSC product group contains 100% post-consumer reclaimed material. Products with an FSC Recycled label support re-use of forest resources and contain only post-consumer recycled wood or fiber in accordance with FSC standards. |
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