Newsletter Stories


Sunday, 01 June 2003
LEED™ Gives FSC Credit

USGBC Program Recognizes FSC Certification


The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) program of the U.S. Green Building Council is a commercial building design guideline and third-party certification tool that aims to “improve occupant well-being, environmental performance and economic returns of buildings using established and innovative practices, standards and technologies" (LEED™ Rating System version 2.1). Incentives for companies to choose to use the LEED system include establishing leadership in the “environmentally friendly" community, as well as qualifying for a growing number of local and state government incentives.

Under the LEED system, points can be awarded in five categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, materials & resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation & design process. Credit 7 under the materials & resources category addresses the issue of certified wood, with the intent of encouraging environmentally responsible forest management. The requirements for the credit are:

“Use a minimum of 50% (based on cost) of wood-based materials and products, certified in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council’s Principles and Criteria, for wood building components including, but not limited to, structural framing and general dimensional framing, flooring, finishes, furnishings, and non-rented temporary construction applications such as bracing, concrete form work and pedestrian barriers."

A partial list of LEED™ certified projects to date that have used the certified wood credit include: 
• Herman Miller C1 Main Site and Herman Miller MarketPlace; Zeeland, MI
• IslandWood: A School in the Woods; Bainbridge Island, WA
• Ecotrust-owned Natural Capital Center; Portland, OR
• Third-Creek Elementary School; Statesville, NC 
• The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; Menlo Park, CA

A central component of the LEED™ program is the tracking and documentation of materials used in the building project. In the case of the certified wood credit, this involves documentation of wood purchase invoices and FSC Chain-of-Custody certificates from suppliers. To help organize and ease in this process, the Certified Wood and Paper Association (CWPA) has developed a Project Toolkit titled “Achieving Wood-related Credits under LEED™." The Toolkit explains the wood related credits (include other credits dealing with recycled and reclaimed wood), as well as providing sample documentation forms and invoices. To receive this Toolkit, or for help with specifying and using FSC-certified products under the LEED™ system, CWPA can be contact at             1-866-SPECWOOD       or www.cwpa.info.

For more information about the LEED™ program, visit www.usgbc.org