Certified Wood Protects Vanishing Old-Growth Forests

More than 80 percent of the world’s old-growth forests have disappeared, and in the U.S. only 5 percent are left, according to Rainforest Action Network. Some results of this are soil erosion, destroyed wildlife habitat and polluted water.

The Forest Stewardship Council, a nonprofit international organization headquartered in Bonn, Germany, developed a system for maintaining sustainable forests in 1993. Through its certification program, lumber can be traced from the forest to the final seller – guaranteeing that it has been harvested in a manner that supports sustainability.

Although there have been area retailers selling eco-friendly, sustainable and nontoxic woodlike products, FSC-certified lumber has only just arrived in Boulder. Through a process of tracking and auditing, Boulder Lumber Co. and its sister company, Lafayette Lumber Co., recently earned Chain of Custody certification from the Stewardship Council.

The council created a ??-point principle and criteria list of 57 directives that must be met before forest landowners or managers can be FSC certified. The detailed principles include a provision for indigenous people to own and manage the forest lands; management plans that identify and protect rare, threatened and endangered species; a requirement to balance harvest with permanent sustainability; and environmentalimpact safeguards.

Manager Bruce Scanlon, left, and Assistant Manager Al Jamieson of Boulder Lumber with some of the company’s FSC-certified lumber. The Forest Stewardship Council is an international network that promotes responsible management of the world’s forests.

Chain of Custody certification is the path taken by raw materials harvested from an FSC-certified source. It verifies that from the forest, through processing, manufacturing, distribution and printing, the final product that will be sold to the end consumer has been monitored. The end user purchases a product that is guaranteed FSC-certified through the strict regulations of the process.

FSC has accredited independent, thirdparty auditors to oversee Chain of Custody compliance. These certifiers help companies design systems to track certified material and annually review each client on his or her handling of certified wood in the production process.

The accredited auditors also work with forest landowners or managers to assure that they meet FSCs guidelines to become FSC- certified forests.

The FSC conducts annual audits of each accredited certifier to make sure he or she is following the guidelines.

“My customers drove me to do this,” said Bruce Scanlon, Boulder Lumber Co. manager. “Actually it was really more of a putt than a drive.

“FSC certification guarantees that forests are managed in an environmentally and socially responsible manner that assures long- term availability of high-quality wood,” he added.

“We’re anticipating a cost that’s 10 percent more for this, which is minimal for what you’re getting.”

Boulder Lumber’s first order went out in early July. The store will stock FSC-certified framing lumber, moldings and dimensional lumber.

Adam Stenftenagel, steering committee member with the Boulder Green Building Guild, is one of the reasons FSC-certified lumber is making its way to Boulder. He discovered that although Boulder Lumber Co. was carrying some products that fit FSC’s guidelines, the products weren’t officially certified.

Stenftenagel researched the certification process and through the Boulder Green Building Guild did a survey to get an idea of the amount of FSC-certified lumber that locals would commit to buying.

“We got a commitment of about 500,000 board-feet,” he said. He took the information to Boulder Lumber Co., and the Chain of Custody certification process was set into motion.

Boulder Lumber carries lumber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. The FSC product label allows consumers to recognize products that support the growth of responsible forest management worldwide.

Now the Boulder Green Building Guild is working to get the word out about how important it is to use FSC-certified lumber. “Boulder Lumber will actually be setting up a green-building kiosk to educate people on it,” Stenftenagel said.

A tactic for convincing people of the importance of FSC certification is stressing the point that old growth lumber is limited, and that the trees will be around for the future if sustainability practices are enforced.

In addition to sustaining trees, attention to FSC certification protects forest ecology, from indigenous plants and animals to healthy fish in rivers that have not been polluted. Sustaining the livelihood of indigenous people who work in forests is another accomplishment of FSC-certified forests.

More than 39 million hectares of forest are currently FSC- certified in 66 countries and on five continents.

For 15 years, Eco-Products in Boulder has been supplying eco- friendly, non-toxic and sustainable products as alternatives to diminishing and endangered sources of lumber.

Products are made from recycled materials or with materials that can be recycled, as well as from composite materials.

“We cater to three types of buyers,” said Frank Beck, sales and marketing manager. “People who have value systems that are eco- friendly, people who have health problems, and people who want what they want – they’ve researched products available and are well- informed.”

Beck described the benefits of wood alternatives: They last longer than wood, they require zero maintenance, and they are as easy or easier to install than wood.

“It’s generally impossible to determine the difference in cost comparing these alternatives to wood,” he said.

BY ELIZABETH GOLD

Business Report Correspondent

Copyright The Boulder County Business Report Aug 5-Aug 18, 2005