Wood Certifications: Comparing Programs and Their Impacts

Forests of all types are essential to slowing climate change. But some people argue that “working” forests—the ones we log—are just as critical as conserved land. We can use timber harvests, they say, to maximize carbon sequestration and storage in working forests.

The math on that is … still being worked out. But one thing is already clear: harvesting timber as a climate solution can only work if forests are responsibly managed. And that’s where forest certifications come in.

All certifications are not created equal, however. In this report, BuildingGreen analyzes the major forestry certifications to find the most reliable markers of responsible sourcing. 

Learning objectives: 

After people take this course, they should be able to:

1. Define “third-party certification” and understand its role in verifying that a company’s forest-management practices support positive social and environmental outcomes.

2. Compare the rigor and enforceability of forestry certifications across three impact categories: ecological impacts, social and economic impacts, and carbon and climate impacts.

3. Identify clear and verifiable forest-management indicators that encourage strong social and environmental performance, and distinguish them from vague and difficult-to-verify indicators that leave more room for interpretation. 

4. Describe how organizational funding sources and governance practices impact the credibility of both forestry and chain-of-custody standards.

5. Understand the role of social and environmental risk assessment and risk management in wood procurement. 

6. Apply circularity principles—such as material reuse, dematerialization, and design for deconstruction—to avoid the negative social and environmental impacts of material harvesting, manufacturing, and disposal.