Forest Stewardship Council's Greenbuild Booth Earns Project Certification from SCS Global Services; A "Walk in the Woods" Links Responsible Forest Management and Green Building

Leading third-party certification firm SCS Global Services issued its first Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) "Project" certification in the United States at Greenbuild 2012 this year, recognizing FSC U.S.'s use of FSC-certified wood in its exhibit booth. SCS, one of the world's leading FSC certifiers, certified the mill where the timber was processed and the booth itself (certificate number SCS-PRO-004392).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120827/MM63583LOGO)

The eye-catching booth featured nest-like structures made of curved plywood, and was built by Nyberg Construction, based inFairfax. Other components were built by Woodtech, Inc., a San Francisco Bay Area company also certified by SCS under the FSC chain-of-custody standard.

"The green building industry and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system play a critical role in rewarding responsible forest management in the marketplace," said Dr. Robert J. Hrubes of SCS. "FSC's booth was a fitting reminder to the building professionals in attendance that their choices in building materials are directly connected to forests."

As exemplified by the booth, FSC project certification is a category of certification reserved for one-off projects that incorporate FSC-certified wood into their construction.  To achieve "Full Project" certification, a project manager must ensure that at least half of the wood used is sourced from FSC-certified responsibly managed sources or from verified "post-consumer reclaimed" sources.  All remaining wood must be derived from FSC Controlled Wood or from other verified reclaimed sources.

The booth also showcased a wide range of products made with FSC-certified materials, including the world's first bicycle built with FSC-certified wood, World Centric paper cups, the Hunger Games book series printed on FSC-certified paper, and a baseball bat manufactured by Combat Sports Group.  The product display demonstrated to conference attendees that wood products are not only a key component of green buildings, but also of daily life.

Capping off Greenbuild 2012, Dr. Hrubes led a well-attended, unique tour of the FSC-certified Big Creek Lumber Company forestlands and sawmill operations in Santa Cruz County. Tour attendees, over 50 in total, learned how SCS auditors examine forestry practices to ensure compliance with the FSC's principles of responsible forestry.   For most participants, the tour was also their first opportunity to see Coastal Redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens) in their native environment, to learn about the habitat that supports them, and to understand how working forests under responsible forest management can provide environmental, economic and social benefits.

SCS Global Services (formerly Scientific Certification Systems) has been providing global leadership in third-party environmental and sustainability certification, auditing, testing, and standards development for nearly 30 years. SCS' programs span a wide cross-section of industries, recognizing achievements in green building, product manufacturing, food and agriculture, forestry, retail, and more. An accredited certifier under ISO/IEC Guide 65, SCS provide services under a wide range of internationally recognized certification programs.  SCS are a chartered benefit corporation and Certified B Corp™, reflecting our commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices. FSC license code FSC-A000521.