Buying ‘ Green ‘ Flooring

To get the FSC’s stamp of approval, forest operations must meet 57 criteria, including protection of local wildlife, minimal use of chemical pesticides, even the guarantee that loggers can unionize. If a forest makes the grade, its wood products get branded with the FSC logo and a “chain of custody” number, which allows them to be traced them back to their source. Currently there are 556 U.S. companies turning out FSC-certified lumber, up from 20 when the program was founded a decade ago, and 4,000 internationally. While the flooring they produce still makes up a small share of the U.S. market, it’s growing fast. More important, they’re having an effect on the nation’s forests. FSC-certified woodlands now blanket 15.5 million acres, up from a mere 1.4 million in 1995. Internationally, the numbers are even more compelling, with 135 million acres of FSC-approved forests covering the globe. …the FSC stamp is the gold standard.

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