Green Building Lingo Defined: FSC Certified

If you haven't heard, today is Arbor Day!
To celebrate, let's talk about saving and respecting trees!

A choice you can make in favor of trees is to responsibly select hardwoods for your building projects. One option? Look for wood with FSC Certification. What does FSC mean? It stands for Forest Stewardship Council. FSC Certification of a product implies that its wood source was sustainably harvested from responsibly managed forests. The Forest Stewardship Council has strict rules to qualify for FSC Certification. There are ten principles and criteria that need to be complied with to earn the certification, but to summarize, FSC Certification means that:

• The forests are managed to maintain minimal environmental impact (there is a balance between how many trees are harvested vs planted, trees are only harvested once they are fully mature, habitats are protected),
• Workers are treated fairly,
• Indigenous peoples' right are respected,
• Local and international forestry laws are abided by, and
  
• Environmental and social impacts of the tree harvesting are both carefully monitored and assessed

To identify products that are FSC Certified, look for the logo at the top of the page

In green building and design, you should look for the FSC certification on sources for wood floors, wood cabinets, and wood furniture. Other places you can find FSC Certified products? You will also often see the FSC certification on paper products - whether you are buying office paper, a magazine, or a new article of clothing with a paper tag, the FSC certification is becoming a common sight. Reclaimed wood and renewable alternatives to wood (such as bamboo) are other great options to use for your building projects.

Happy Arbor Day, from 'g'!