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 9, 2021
ASHRAE updates health care facility ventilation standard
Includes improved guidance on thermal comfort, revisions to air filtration requirements.
Codes and Standards | Jun 8, 2021
American Wood Council releases new fire design specification
For design of wood members, assemblies, and connections to meet code requirements.
Codes and Standards | Jun 7, 2021
Guide provides strategies to overcome barriers to sustainable affordable housing
International Living Future Institute document helps with social, regulatory, and financial hurdles.
Codes and Standards | Jun 3, 2021
Conversion of large office buildings to residential will require revamped regulations
Post-1960 offices present ventilation, daylighting, and other challenges.
Codes and Standards | Jun 2, 2021
Dept. of Energy releases EnergyPlus and OpenStudio updates
New features include Python Plugin features and additional tabular reporting options.
Codes and Standards | Jun 1, 2021
Federal plan to double Canadian lumber tariffs draws intense criticism
Builders advised to stock up to deal with shortages.
Codes and Standards | Jun 1, 2021
Passive House standards proving their worth in multifamily sector
Energy performance beats conventionally built by 32% to 58%.
Codes and Standards | May 27, 2021
Pittsburgh combats construction fraud
Crackdown on tax, insurance, and workers’ comp malfeasance.
Codes and Standards | May 26, 2021
Proposal to add photovoltaic panels to the R2 Standard for electronics recycling
Hundreds of facilities in 33 countries could begin recycling PVs.
Codes and Standards | May 25, 2021
International Energy Agency lays out roadmap to net zero
Focus is on energy generation, but building efficiency also plays a role.