LEED changes open up market for green products

ffnnr's soME GooD News for dealllers that supply green-building pros: After three years of studY, the U.S. Green Building Council is close to changing how it awards LEED credits for certified wood.

Since its srart in 2001, the LEED Green Building Program has awarded points for the use of environmentally responsible wood products-as long as they were certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Many questioned USGBC's decision, especially when the limited supply of FSC-certified wood made it more difficult to earn credits for using wood.

USGBC began the process of reexamining its wood certification system by soliciting opinions from its stakeholders, commissioning a study by Yale's Program on Forest Policy and Governance, and talking to the experts at Sylvatica, a life-cycle assessment consulting firm and research group with offices in the U.S. and Canada.

According to USGBC officials, the focus of the proposed credit changes is transparency. Additional wood certification programs would be evaluated according to a measurable benchmark that includes:

Governance

. Technical/standards substance

. Accreditation and auditing

Chain of custody and labeling

After "a thorough and objective analysis," programs judged compliant with the benchmark would be recognized by LEED. Programs that don't make the cut would have what USGBC officials call "a clear and transparent understanding of what modifications are necessary to receive recognition under LEED."

Two of the largest certification groups in North America-American Tree Farm System (ATFS) and

Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFDrecently adopted revised standards of their own. Members of both groups will have one year to make sure their woodlands measure up.

"Although our certification program is the oldest in America, operating since 1941 , we are constantly working to improve our standards to make them fit new conservation forestry practices and consumer expectations," said Bob Simpson, senior v.p. for forestry programs at the American Forest Foundation, which runs ATFS. "The changes go further in protecting woodlands of high conservation value, and they streamline the process for woodland owners."

Wood products derived fromthe 24 million acres certified by the Arlington, Va.-based group are distributed throughout the world with labels from SFI and the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC).

Headquartered in Arlington, Va., SFI was founded by the American Forest & Paper Association in 1995the same year FSC opened an office in Washington, D.C. However, SFI became an independent nonprofit in 2007. The association has now certified more than 170 million acres across North America.

According to Kathy Abusow, the group's president and c.e.o., SFI's new standard "was enriched by the views and expertise of many people, and offers a solid foundation as we build new partnerships and look for more ways to promote sustainable forest practices" (see sidebar).

FSC was created in 1993, to "change the dialogue about and the practice of sustainable forestry worldwide" by developing and enforcing "principles, criteria, and standards that span economic, social, and environ- mental concerns." Although it is based in Bonn, Germany, the international organization has offices in more than 46 countries and is endorsed by such major groups as the U.S. Green Building Council and the Rainforest Alliance.

As the interest in green building continues to grow-even in a down economy-so will the demand for certified wood. Making it easier to earn LEED points for certified wood will benefit everyone.

SFI Standard Gets Stricter

Following an extensive 18-month review, Sustainable Forestry Initiative has released a new, more comPrehensive standard for the next five years.

The SFI 2010-2014 Standard has 20 objectives, 39 performance measures, and 114 indicators-up from 13 objectives, 34 performance measures, and 102 indicators.To be certified, forest operations must be third-party audited to meet all requirements by independent, objective and accredited certification bodies.

Changes, which went into effect Jan. f include: lmprove conservation of biodiversity in North America and offshore, and address emerging issues such as climate change and bioenergy.

. Strengthen unique SFI fiber sourcing requirements, which broaden the practice of sustainable forestry in North America and avoid unwanted offshore sources.

. Complement SFI activities aimed at avoiding controversial or illegal offshore fiber sources, and embrace Lacey Act amendments to prevent illegal logging.

Expand requirements for logger training and support for trained loggers and certified logger programs.