Who is FSC?

The Forest Stewardship Council is an international organization that certifies and establishes guidelines for forests and how they are managed. Founded in 1993 with headquarters in Germany, it was created as a result of a meeting of world leaders in 1992 to discuss concerns about the world’s forests. Environmentalists, land owners, manufacturers and others comprising a group of more than 100 entities formed FSC.

Despite its international origins, FSC maintains one set of forest management principles and criteria in the United States, Miller says. “In addition, we have regional standards that are written at the country level. In the U.S. we have nine regional standards and they differ, for example, because lumber from a tropical forest would be handled differently than that from a Northwest U.S. forest.”

FSC is an independent nonprofit third-party certification organization. “We set our standards,” Miller says. “For green building programs like the NAHB and LEED, builders can get credit for using FSC-certified wood. LEED programs recognize only FSC-certified wood for credit.

“In the beginning there was confusion about whether we were certifying quality or chain of custody,” says FSC’s Miller. “We are not certifying quality. We are certifying the source of the wood — that it came from a sustainably managed forest. We certify nothing pertaining to glues or adhesives used in a product. We don’t verify anything like that.”

Other lumber certification organizations operating in North America include the American Tree Farm System, the Canadian Standards Association’s Sustainable Forest Management System Standards and the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Systems.

Making Certification Matter

How does an architect or builder make the most of a choice to use a certified sustainable product? To provide incentive for builders and designers, both the LEED and NAHB green building programs award points for choosing certified lumber. A range of certification levels such as platinum, gold and silver are awarded to a house upon completion depending on how many points are earned. That home then can be marketed as certified green, helping builders and designers sell the home as well as make a green name for themselves. NAHB and the USGBC remain the two main groups certifying homes in the United States today.

The NAHB’s Model Green Home Building Guidelines are designed to move environmentally friendly home building concepts further into the mainstream U.S. marketplace. The guidelines are based on certain basic criteria with optional points toward earning bronze, silver or gold status, with a soon-to-be-launched emerald status. “The NAHB national guidelines standardize green building practices for the entire country,” Tonjes says.

The NAHB also has worked with the International Code Council to create a National Green Building Standard, which is expected to earn ANSI accreditation at any time. Municipalities across the country can use an ANSI standard to build local codes and standards. The basis for developing the standard was the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines.

Tonjes explains, “Lumber certification is just one of many options to earn green points within both sets of guidelines [NAHB and LEED. Both guidelines] are identical in content even though they’ve rearranged them and rewrote some sentences. Exactly the same components are in each, and the NAHB program recognizes both SFI- and FSC-certified lumber. The intent of recognizing multiple lumber certification organizations is to provide alternatives as opposed to sole sources.”

“The fact that NAHB’s green guidelines specify SFI is helping with acceptance and use of certified lumber,” SFI’s Abusow says. “Many states have developed their own local green guidelines based on NAHB’s guidelines. And as mentioned earlier, the USGBC is evaluating the possibility of adding SFI to the list of certifications recognized by the LEED for Homes program.”

The USGBC’s residential certification program called LEED for Homes, launched nationally in December 2007, is a rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes. It awards different levels of green status (platinum, gold, etc.) based on a system of points earned for using certified lumber and many other green products and practices.

“As a custom home builder or designer, every client may have a different set of preferences on what they want green or not,” says Michelle Moore, senior vice president, USGBC. “Maybe someone in the house has asthma, so a homeowner wants to max out on making that home a healthier environment rather than focus on sustainable materials that have no implication on a person’s health. And green guidelines address issues such as indoor air quality, so you’re covered no matter what a client wants. Certified lumber is only part of the green equation.

“The certified wood credit was first introduced to the LEED point system in its second iteration,” Moore continues. “As LEED picked up steam, of course SFI and other material rating systems advanced, and the market advanced as well. A few years ago the USGBC attempted to address how we give credit for certified wood but there wasn’t enough time to respond adequately. Very soon after that the board reopened the issue. So we’re knee deep in that review process right now. We’re expected to issue a revised credit language that might include recognizing SFI wood certification.”

At press time LEED for Homes, as mentioned previously, recognized only FSC-certified lumber.

Lumber’s Role in a Raised-Floor Home
By Kim Drew

Everything old is new again. A popular building method first practiced centuries ago is making a comeback along the Gulf Coast — and nationwide — as designers and builders seek solutions to common building-science problems.

Whether it’s called “raised pier-and-beam” or “crawl space foundation,” the goal of raised-floor construction is the same: raise the bottom of a home off the ground and away from moisture, insects and potential flooding.

Designers and builders who offer raised-floor construction can create value for themselves and benefits for homeowners. The cost compares favorably to slab-on-grade designs, and choosing wood to frame a raised-floor house can be an environmentally friendly decision.

For the homeowner, a raised-floor home offers many benefits, including classic style, uplifting comfort, extended living space, a simple lifetime foundation, easy home improvement, reduced risk of flooding, and pest control and landscaping flexibility.

Raised-floor homes can be built on any soil type or condition. Site preparation is no different than for any other conventional building method, and as with any foundation system, proper drainage remains critical. Design loads must be properly calculated, taking into account any wind and/or seismic considerations. Crawl space design and construction, as well as properly installed footings and foundations, work together to ensure the satisfactory performance of a raised-floor structure.

Builders currently using the raised-floor construction method — or those who would like to learn more — are invited to register their information with the Southern Pine Council’s building professional locator at raisedfloorliving.com.