What Does Sustainable Wood Mean?
Wood has been used for thousands of years for building homes, furniture, and other items. Wood is also a renewable resource that can be used for multiple.
It is a solid choice for making furniture and other home items because of its durability and beautiful appearance.
However, sustainable wood has also become popular among consumers looking to buy wooden furniture because of its environmental benefits.
So what exactly does “sustainable wood” mean? Sustainable wood is wood that is harvested in a way that makes the environment better.
Sustainable wood can come from a variety of sources such as woodlands managed organically, forests managed for conservation and timber grown specifically for furniture production.
If you want to learn more about sustainable wood, just keep reading!
Why Should you Use Sustainable Wood?
Using sustainable wood will help protect our natural resources. It will also provide people with employment opportunities where they live, reducing pollution caused by transportation and manufacturing processes.
By using sustainable wood, we are helping reduce deforestation, which causes climate change.
When trees grow faster than they use up their nutrients, it leaves room for new plants to fill those spaces. This helps create healthier ecosystems overall.
When people have jobs harvesting or selling wood products, it means money stays within local communities instead of being sent out of state.
That’s why buying sustainably harvested wood is so important.
Which Woods are Most Sustainable?
There are many wood types available today; some are sustainable while others aren’t. Here are three different categories of sustainability:
- Organic – Organic forestry involves growing trees on land that has not previously been cleared. The soil naturally replenishes itself over time with no additional fertilizers and pesticides.
If this type of forest was logged before, then there may still be areas left untouched. These areas include meadows and grassy fields.
Trees do not compete with one another but coexist together. They can even share space if needed.
- Conservation – Conservation forests are owned and controlled by governments. Many countries around the world manage these lands for wildlife preservation and habitat protection.
Besides protecting nature, these forests are often preserved as well. Some examples include rainforests and old-growth forests.
Rainforest refers to dense vegetation found near bodies of water, like rivers or oceans. Old-growth forests are large swaths of trees that took hundreds or even thousands of years to develop.
- Timber – timber comes from an area called plantations. Plantations are places where logs are cut down after only 10–15 years of life cycle.
After logging takes place, plantation owners plant seedlings into empty spots of land. Soil conditions must be perfect, otherwise the tree won’t survive.
Once planted, the trees produce lumber at a much slower rate compared to older trees.
Note: Each category provides unique advantages and disadvantages depending on your needs.
You’ll need to decide between them based on how much time you would like to spend working towards having environmentally friendly materials.
How to Identify Sustainable Wood?
Sustainable wood is wood that is not harmful to humans or the environment. It is cut from trees that are over 20 years old and in a forest that is growing.
Sustainable wood comes from trees that are harvested in a way that’s good for forests, people, and other living things.
Choosing wood that’s certified as sustainably harvested is a good way to support sustainable forestry practices.
There are several ways to tell if wood is sustainable. Here are a few:
1. The wood has been sustainably harvested for at least ten years.
2. The wood was sourced from a plantation that produces at least 75% of its own wood.
3. The wood was sourced from a plantation that is certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).
4. The wood was sourced from a plantation that has been extensively managed by a local or regional management organization.
5. The wood was sourced from a plantation that has been sustainably managed by a national organization with a sustainable forestry initiative certification.
How to Select Sustainability Wood Products?
- First off, check the certification labels. If there is no specific mention of “certification,” then chances are this item wasn’t produced according to sustainable forestry principles.
- If you’re looking to buy furniture made from sustainable wood products, select products that contain recycled content.
- Recycled content can come from anything, including paper pulp, plastics, metal, glass, or even cardboard boxes.
- Another factor to consider is whether the material will last for many decades. For example, some types of exotic wood degrade faster because they become brittle during dry seasons.
- Other species may require special care such as being stored under controlled humidity levels.
- Finally, think about what type of lifestyle you want to create around your home.
Are there different kinds of sustainable wood?
Yes! There are three main categories.
- FSC Certified – This refers to only those companies whose materials meet criteria established by the Forest Stewardship Council. These are the most commonly seen certifications on unsustainable wood products today.
Woods harvested without using chemical fertilizers or pesticides are eligible for the FSC label. However, these are rarer than one might expect.
Some companies use organic soil amendments like composted manure rather than synthetic ones. But, these additives still need monitoring since they could be harmful. It’s best to stick to synthetics.
- Forest Stewardship Timber certification – Some tree plantations also earn this designation. They provide jobs for locals while protecting wildlife habitats.
As long as the landowner follows the required regulations, he or she can receive the same benefits as an independent producer.
Besides certified logs, other ancient forest-based products include lumber, veneers, plywood, particleboard, oriented strand board, laminated beams, flooring, decking, engineered wood components, etc.
- Sustainable Forestry Management Certification – All trees grown in sustainable forests managed with good practices are eligible for SFM certification. In fact, most countries offer similar programs. The United States doesn’t have its own program.
but it does recognize SFM certificates issued by other nations.
It’s important to note that SFM certification has nothing to do with sustainability. Rather, it simply means that someone else handled forest management. That person would know how to manage natural resources responsibly.
Certain Requirements
By certifying products, companies show consumers they care about environmental sustainability.
The process starts when a company buys timber supplies from suppliers all over the country. Once purchased, the supplier delivers it directly to the factory.
Then, factories ship their finished product out to customers who purchase them online or through stores.
Certified mills have a certain minimum requirement.
- First, they must sell only to FSC members and abide by strict rules regarding harvesting methods.
- Second, they must keep detailed records showing which regions were used to produce each batch.
- Finally, they must adhere to stringent guidelines concerning business ethics.
Companies that aren’t FSC members don’t have any obligations except making sure their timber industry meets standards set forth by the council.
