Third-party forest certification based on standards developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is the best way to ensure that wood products come from well-managed forests. Wood products must go through a chain-of-custody certification process to carry an FSC stamp.
Manufactured wood products can meet the FSC certification requirements with less than 100% certified wood content through percentage-based claims (30% certified content is required if only virgin wood fiber is used; certified-wood content as low as 17.5% is allowable if the rest of the fiber content is from recycled sources).
With a few special-case exceptions, FSC-based certification is a requirement for GreenSpec inclusion of any nonsalvaged solid-wood product and most other wood products. A few manufactured wood products, including engineered lumber and particleboard/MDF, can be included if they have other environmental advantages--such as absence of formaldehyde binders. Engineered wood products in GreenSpec do not qualify by virtue of their resource efficiency benefits alone (for more on this, see EBN, Vol. 8, No. 11).
S.J. Morse Company Veneer-Faced Trim
The S. J. Morse Company offers custom-made, veneer-faced trim in a variety of FSC-certified species—four domestics: red oak, white oak, cherry, and maple; three European: steamed beech, sycamore, and eucalyptus; and six relatively unknown Brazilian species: Amapa, Louro Preto, Angelim Fava, Taurari Vermelho, Ucuuba, and Cupiuba. The trim is available in any specified width and can be provided with a clear finish (a water-based option is available) or be left unfinished for custom staining and finishing. FSC-certified, recycled-content, or agrifiber cores are offered, including formaldehyde-free options. Other custom veneer products are also available FSC-certified: window seats, wide window and door jambs, column wraps, wall and ceiling panels, and cabinet door faces.
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF), manufactured from sawmill waste, is an efficient use of resources and is commonly used for paint-grade trim or molding because it mills cleanly and is inexpensive.
MDF is usually made with urea-formaldehyde (UF), phenol-formaldehyde (PF), or MDI binder. Formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen, offgases from UF products significantly more than those that use PF or MDI.
Products listed by GreenSpec contain no added urea formaldehyde (NAUF) and demonstrate formaldehyde emissions less than 0.09 parts per million or are made using no-added formaldehyde (NAF) binders such as MDI.
Pressures on timber supply are especially acute for high-visibility, solid-wood products like window sash and molding, which have traditionally been produced from old-growth trees.
GreenSpec lists products using molding from plastic wastes, as an excellent substitute for paint-grade moldings, or products with other benefits such as bamboo, which is rapidly renewable. These products typically are made with no or relatively few binders, but GreenSpec lists only no-added-urea-formaldehyde (NAUF) or no-added-formaldehyde (NAF) products, or products meeting CARB II emissions requirements.
Certifications
LEED Credits
EQc4.4: Low-Emitting Materials—Composite Wood&Agrifiber Products
IEQc4.4: Low-Emitting Materials—Composite Wood and Agrifiber Products
MRc6: Certified Wood
MRc7: Certified Wood
Ratings and Commentary
Add Comment
Similar Products
Manufacturer Information
Facebook
Twitter
