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Timber certification

by Norman Carless
NBS Technical Author

For decades the world’s rain forests have steadily diminished in area due to a number of factors. Significantly, logging is not the only or, indeed, the main detrimental activity. According to the Rainforest Foundation, the largest cause of forest loss is clearance – usually by burning – for commercial and subsistence farming. Rainforests are also exploited for their deposits of oil and natural gas, minerals (including those containing aluminium, iron ore, copper, zinc) and, in some areas, precious metals. In its forest assessment, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization does not count logging as deforestation, since logged-over areas can, in theory, regrow to fully functioning forests. Of the timber extracted from rainforests it is estimated that only 6% enters international trade.

According to Forests Forever, about 80% of all the timber used in the UK is imported, mostly from coniferous forests located mainly in Scandinavia, Canada and Russia. Only about 8% is imported from tropical regions. Of this percentage, less than half is used in the construction industry. In an attempt to arrest the depletion of the rainforests the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) pioneered its first tropical rainforest campaign in 1975. As a result, many forests in Africa, South-east Asia and Latin America were set up as managed National Parks or reserves. The last decade of the 20th century saw the introduction of forest certification schemes, with two main objectives: having as two of their objectives the encouragement of good forest management and the maintenance of biodiversity.

Interestingly, these schemes have burgeoned and, in addition to tropical forests, now cover timber sourced from temperate and boreal forests. The best known international certification schemes are operated by:

• Canadian Standards Association – CSA (www.csa-international.org – see under 'Product Areas/ Sustainable Forest Management Program).
• Forest Stewardship Council – FSC (www.fsc.org).
• Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes – PEFC (www.pefc.org).
• Malaysian Timber Certification Council – MTCC (www.mtcc.com.my).
• Sustainable Forestry Initiative – SFI  (www.aboutsfi.org).

In addition to independent assessment of forest management practices according to predetermined standards, certification involves wood product ‘labelling’. Wood harvested in certified forests is tracked through all stages of transport, processing and marketing to the finished product, creating a ‘chain of custody’. The resulting label is intended to give purchasers confidence that the wood or wood based product has been procured from a legal, well managed source.

Unfortunately, and perhaps understandably, the certification process is complex. Most schemes continue to be adapted to suit the vagaries of timber production and distribution on a worldwide scale. The road to comprehensive certification is strewn with obstacles, not least of which are the lack of general agreement on ground rules (for example, the meaning of ‘sustainability’) and cost. Certification does not come cheap, and the price is frequently beyond the means of small forest owners and indigenous forest peoples.

Details and progress of certification schemes currently in operation or under development can be obtained from:

• Confederation of European Paper Industries – publishes a comparative matrix of certification schemes (see under 'Forest' at www.cepi.org).
• CPET (Central Point of Expertise on Timber Procurement) – set up by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and operated by ProForest; provides detailed information and advice on how public sector buyers and their suppliers can meet the UK Government’s timber procurement policy requirements (www.proforest.net/cpet).

That recognition is given to only some timber certification schemes – by environmental NGOs, importers, manufacturers and retailers – is inconsistent with World Trade Organisation and European Commission rules on trade. Instead of rejecting particular schemes, the best way forward would be for all relevant parties to collaborate and work towards establishing mutual recognition among credible certification schemes.

How does certification affect construction project specifications?

It may be reasonable to conclude that the trend towards insistence on specification of certified timber by client bodies and specifiers alike has to some degree been brought about by the influence and activities of certain NGOs and conservation groups. Regardless of the motives for adopting such a policy, it must be remembered that for specifications to be achievable they must be realistic. Unattainable requirements or unverifiable claims by manufacturers/ suppliers are not helpful, and any wording in specifications regarding timber certification must be carefully considered.

At present large areas of temperate and boreal forests have been audited, and plentiful supplies of certified softwood are available. Certified supplies of tropical hardwoods are currently limited, and other means of authenticating the claims of legality and sustainability of timber sources must therefore be sought. A substantial number of suppliers in the UK have adopted environmental purchasing policies and so should be able to confirm that all timber supplied has been derived from legal and well-managed forests.

Updated August 2007

 

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