[Washington, DC] The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Board of Directors announced today that it has directed the USGBC’s LEED Steering Committee to address two proposed changes to LEED’s wood and bio-based materials credits… USGBC’s Board took action in response to the escalating debate over wood and wood certification as related to USGBC’s LEED Green Building Rating System. That Materials and Resources Credit 6 (MRc6) be changed from a rapidly renewable credit into a biobased credit, under which wood that is not derived from illegal logging would be recognized. With this change, wood certified through the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), and possibly other certification systems could obtain this credit … That Materials and Resources Credit 7 (MRc7) should be changed from a wood-only credit to a credit that recognizes certified biobased materials …Initially, for wood products, it is anticipated that only FSC would satisfy the top-tier certification requirements for this credit at this stage. However; as other certification systems for wood advance and as certification systems for bamboo, cork, or agricultural products emerge that would meet the USGBC criteria; they, too, could gain recognition under MRc7.

Dealing with Wood and Biobased Materials in the LEED® Rating System
Key Findings from September 2005 Wood Certification Meeting

News notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network News Notes
www.southernsustainableforests.org