FSC®-Certified Wood in Construction and Green Building
FSC is an independent, non-profit organization that protects forests for future generations. We are an open, membership-led organization that sets standards under which forests and companies are certified. Our membership consists of three equally weighted chambers -- environmental, economic, and social -- to ensure the balance and the highest level of integrity. FSC US is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and operates as a National Office of FSC International, which is based in Bonn, Germany.
Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certification has been a leading driver of global forest conservation since 1994, and the green building movement is a cornerstone of its success. The US Green Building Council’s LEED rating system and the designers, specifiers and builders who apply LEED standards play a critical role, as doing so rewards and promotes forest conservation. Other FSC market drivers, such as Living Building Challenge, and high volume purchasing by major retailers all work together to expand the marketplace and make finding FSC building products easier. Through this course, you will learn why FSC materials are a crucial conservation tool, how they integrate with broader green building standards, and how to identify, procure and properly document them to earn credit in green building programs.
- Explain why FSC-certified building products are key to green buildings that benefit building owners, building occupants and the environment, and why building professionals play an important role in promoting sustainable forest management in North America and beyond.
- Describe what to look for in a leading forest certification system when specifying certified wood products, including potential contribution toward LEED and Living Building Challenge certification of a project.
- Review the rules for how FSC-certified wood works in the LEED green building rating system, clarify the opportunities in LEED v4 and LEED 4.1 standards as they relate to FSC, the International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge, and FSC Project Certification.
- Identify the tools, strategies and resources that building professionals can use to encourage market transformation and sustainability in the forest products industry, including both environmental benefits as well as benefits to the built environment for end users.
