The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released a new LEED pilot credit designed to increase transparency in timber supply chains and reduce the risk of illegally harvested wood entering the supply chain.
Development of the Timber Traceability LEED pilot credit was led by a team of timber legality, forestry, and environmental representatives from organizations recognized for leading the fight against illegal logging. Transparency regarding the origin of timber, combined with the use of modern wood identification technologies, can significantly reduce the risk of illegal timber entering the supply chain, according to a USGBC news release.
Drawing on successful anti-counterfeiting initiatives in fashion and the global honey trade, experts believe that DNA, mass spectrometry, and stable isotope analysis can help wood to be traced from end product to its forest origin. This will make it significantly more difficult to falsify documentation about where the timber was harvested.
“Many of the most destructive illegal logging operations around the world depend on masking the true identity and origin of the wood, and this initiative by USGBC tackles that problem directly by incentivizing the latest wood ID technologies,” said Alexander von Bismarck, executive director, Environmental Investigation Agency. “Implementing this credit can lay a foundation to ensure that green buildings don’t become unwitting hiding places for wood stolen from the last great forests of the world.”
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Jun 8, 2017
Car sharing popularity means parking zoning and codes may be promoting overbuilding of garages
Some designers look to modular designs in anticipation of alternate uses.
Codes and Standards | Jun 7, 2017
IAPMO advances toward new 2017 Water Efficiency and Sanitation Standard
Revised pipe-sizing method for residential applications will be included.
Codes and Standards | Jun 7, 2017
New Colorado law could stimulate stalled condo market
Construction defect law modifications could ease litigation risk and cut insurance rates.
Codes and Standards | Jun 6, 2017
New York City will require construction superintendents on buildings higher than three stories
New laws focus on construction safety.
Codes and Standards | May 30, 2017
Industry Groups move toward Unified Green Building Model Code in 2018
The effort involves combining ASHRAE's Standard 189.1 with the International Green Construction Code.
Codes and Standards | May 30, 2017
OSHA suspends electronic injury, illness reporting requirement
The agency is keeping records from being publicly disclosed—for now.
Codes and Standards | May 30, 2017
Florida preparing to adjust to new building elevation requirements
New floodplain maps and state code changes loom.
Codes and Standards | May 30, 2017
Heated debate over whether Calif.’s prevailing wage requirement stymies affordable housing
There’s disagreement around how much pay regulations add to cost of projects.
Codes and Standards | May 25, 2017
Technology is influencing parking requirement codes in new developments
Uber and Lyft make it easier for urban dwellers to live without owning cars.
Codes and Standards | May 25, 2017
Better Buildings Challenge Partners on track to reduce energy usage by 20% in 10 years
More than 1,000 proven solutions are now available on DOE web site.