The Outlook

March 2010

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W e l c o m e

This month we provide an update on the status of forest certification programs in North America and examine the question of what is the biggest threat to use of wood as a building material.

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Enjoy!

- Jeff

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I n T h i s I s s u e:

Dovetail Commentary:

Is green the big Threat to wood use?

What about the other camel in the tent?

Dovetail Report:

Forest Certification: A Status Report

Dovetail News:

• 03/22/2010

  Green Building and Green Marketing Webinar on April 1st
• 03/16/2010

  March 23rd Webinar to Address Minnesotas Natural Resource Values

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Dovetail Commentary:

Is green the big Threat to wood use?

What about the other camel in the tent?

Today there is a renewed effort to promote the benefits of wood as a green product. There are quite literally millions of dollars being spent to ensure wood use is viewed appropriately in green building programs and in the eyes of consumers in general. These activities are generally well intentioned and justified – wood is a green material. But the real question is: Are green building activities and the “suggested” trend of substituting other products for wood THE big issue?

The answer probably is that green substitution is AN issue, and perhaps an important environmental issue. However, wood products manufacturers must be careful that they don’t let this focus on promoting the green benefits of wood distract from the reality that increasingly wood is being replaced by products that are perceived to perform better. Three common uses of wood: siding, decking, and preservative treated framing, are examples of the bigger challenges facing wood.

To read the full commentary, visit:

http://www.dovetailinc.org/content/green-big-threat-wood-use

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Dovetail Report:

Forest Certification: A Status Report

Kathryn Fernholz

In September 2004, Dovetail Partners released the report “A Land Manager’s Guide to FSC & SFI: To Certify or Not To Certify, Is That a Question?” Over the past six years, this report has been directly downloaded thousands of times from the Dovetail website as well as being uploaded and made available through other organizations. At the time the report was released there was notable debate and confusion about the emerging world of forest certification. Since that time, forest certification has grown, in terms of the amount of certified land and companies participating in chain-of-custody and these trends have continued in recent years, despite economic challenges in the economy and within the homebuilding and forest sector specifically. However, certified wood has yet to achieve a critical mass in the marketplace. In fact, by some measures certification’s expansion in recent years has been driven primarily by the paper industry and the significant impacts thereby limited to this sector of the marketplace. Certification still needs to establish itself more broadly in the solid wood products marketplace. In the final analysis, it appears that the harmonization of chain-of-custody requirements for multiple certification systems could go a long way toward helping the overall market grow.

This report reviews the current status of forest certification programs, summarizes changes that have occurred over the past six years and speculates on what the future may bring in terms of opportunities and challenges. This report examines the North American context with some limited global references and with particular attention paid to programs of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Information is also provided regarding the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) of the American Forest Foundation (AFF), the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC).

To read more and download the full report:

http://www.dovetailinc.org/files/DovetailCertReport0310.pdf

N e w s R e l e a s e s f r o m D o v e t a i l:

• 03/22/2010

  Green Building and Green Marketing Webinar on April 1st
• 03/16/2010

  March 23rd Webinar to Address Minnesotas Natural Resource Values

D o v e t a i l i n t h e N e w s:

• Minnesota Green Building Map
  

  twin cities design scene February 2010

• Survey Shows Minnesotans Value Well-Managed Forests
  

  Pine Journal January 25, 2010