LEED v5: What does a new era in green building standards mean for the use of wood?

Executive Summary

Dovetail Partners published a report in 2023 on the latest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) v4.1 standard and examined the Building Design + Construction (BD+C) rating system, changes to the Materials and Resources credits, and possible impacts to the use of wood. That examination led us to identify changes in LEED v4.1 that could support the more efficient documentation of specific credits related to sourcing materials and positively impact the use of wood, provided that required product information continues to be made available by manufacturers. Also, we noted that the approach to recognizing legal, responsible, and certified sources of wood, which was a pilot credit in earlier standards, continued to be recognized in LEED v4.1. Overall, the changes at that time were described as reflecting feedback from the marketplace to improve participation and project outcomes. LEED v4.1 provided modest updates and addressed a goal of improving credit uptake, including the Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA) credit and the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) credit usage. These changes increased awareness of the role of embodied carbon and contributed to mainstreaming these practices in codes and procurement policies.

When we released the report on LEED v4.1 in 2023, we noted that LEED v5 was already in development. The first public comment period for LEED v5 launched in April 2024. Following further comments and revisions, LEED v5 was ratified by members on March 28, 2025 and published in April 2025. Registration for LEED v5 is now available for BD+C: New Construction, BD+C: Core and Shell, ID+C: Commercial Interiors, and O+M: Existing Buildings.

Although the requirements for LEED v5 have been finalized, v5 rating system reference documentation, other supporting documentation, and auditor training and testing, are still under development. USGBC plans to publish a set of addenda later this year (November 2025) which are anticipated to have substantive additions to how wood is addressed in LEED v5.

Building from our review in 2023, this report is about understanding the opportunities for wood and forest products in LEED v5. We focus on the LEED BD+C rating system for New Construction and Major Renovations and specifically the credits that are relevant for wood products: Materials & Resources (MR) prerequisite 2 and credits 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 and Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) credit 2.

Based on our analysis, wood products have the potential to contribute toward earning a total of up to 20 points in LEED v5 projects (Table 1). This is more than in prior LEED standards and can be attributed in part to the focus on decarbonization – one of three “central areas of impact” for the new standard.