Buying wood? - check it’s from a certified, sustainable source
January 11, 2010
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was set up in 1993 in response to concerns over mass deforestation – the loss of irreplaceable forests and the habitats they provide. It is difficult not to be aware of or see the effects of this destruction as our televisions are so often broadcasting the plight of orphaned primates or the effects on the Earth’s carbon balance.
Timber products carrying the FSC logo are sourced from sustainable, well-managed forests. There are other certification schemes such as MTCC (Malaysian Timber Certification Council), SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification). Buying products endorsed by these schemes is really the only way we can buy in confidence knowing that we are not promoting illegal deforestation.
So you’d think by now that specifying or buying timber products that are certified from sustainable sources would be one of the simplest things we can do to help protect our precious resources, wouldn’t you?, …….well either there is still a lack of awareness or we blinker ourselves and find ways to justify our product choices regardless of source….. because I was absolutely astounded to visit a large timber yard recently and see the amount of hardwood that is NOT certified.
Ipe, Yellow Balau, Opepe, Cumaru – non of these carried the FSC logo. The issue seems to be that the timber suppliers try to get FSC certified wood but when this becomes difficult they continue to provide the same wood from non-FSC sources, and yes of course, the non-FSC wood is cheaper.
But who should take responsibility for stopping this process - the timber yards or the consumers (specifiers and buyers)?
Relying on the consumer to change the buying habits of suppliers is a slow process and relies on awareness campaigns and ultimately the cost of products. Given the urgency of the need to stop this destruction why are there not regulations banning the import of non certified wood into the UK?
The Forestry Commission’s regulations for importing wood are concerned only with plant health and the prevention of bringing diseased wood into the UK. They need to be widened. Forest destruction is a global disaster but we have to stop the demand for this wood in the UK.
I design gardens because I have a love of the environment and the pleasure it provides. I went to the timber yard with the intention of using Ipe wood, whilst it looked beautiful I will not be specifying this with the uncertainty that it may have been sourced from illegal logging. Massaranduba wood however is available from FSC sources, whether this will continue I don’t know but I urge anyone buying wood, or wood products, to always check that it comes from a recognised certified source.
www.fsc-uk.org - Forest Stewardship Council
www.pefc.org - Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification
www.sfiprogram.org - Sustainable Forestry Initiative
www.mtcc.com.my - Malaysian Timber Certification Council
Jill Crooks
