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What You Can Do:  Find Good Wood

The Hall of Biodiversity at the American Museum of Natural History is an especially forest-friendly place. The wood used in the floor, benches, and exhibit stations is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, meaning that it was carefully harvested from a natural forest maintaining its cultural, environmental and economic sustainability.

The story behind wood is important. Take your front door, for instance. Perhaps all you know for sure is that it started as a tree. It may have been a giant Sitka spruce in a Canadian forest or a Radiata pine in a Chilean plantation. A tree's story matters because how it grows and is removed affects the health of the land and the people who live on it. And because we all use wood, we play a role in these stories.

When you see the FSC checkmark on furniture or lumber, you know that a trustworthy team of professionals has traced the story of that product back to the tree. FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council, an international nonprofit that sets standards for responsible forestry and is supported by prominent environmental groups, as well as scientists and far-sighted business leaders. You can trust the FSC checkmark to identify products that meet environmental and ethical standards and have been independently certified.

More and more concerned consumers care about the stories behind their wood products and are asking for FSC-certified items. To meet this demand, more companies are seeking certification, making it easier to spot the FSC label on wood products from pencils to furniture. The FSC checkmark will always help you identify lumber and products made by companies that take care of forests, protect wildlife, and help local communities prosper.

WoodWise™ TIPS

• Give your business to companies that stock certified wood. Whenever you shop for wood, always ask the associates and managers that you speak with where their FSC-certified wood is, and if they don’t carry any, ask them when they will start. If you would like to pass information to the store about FSC, contact the FSC office in Washington DC at (202) 342-0413, or www.fscus.org.

• If you're about to purchase a major wood item (like cabinets, bookcases, or a musical instrument), look for one that's made of certified wood. You can find suppliers by visiting www.certifiedwood.org and clicking on "Certified Forest Products" then use the pull down menus to choose your country and state to find the nearest suppliers.

• Recycle and buy used. Keep your furniture and cabinetry in circulation by reselling or donating it for reuse, then buying what you need used. You'll reduce your impact and get beautiful, quality products at a good price.

• Design your project to use smaller pieces, salvaged wood, or imperfect lumber. Few projects require the large, flawless pieces of lumber that come from big trees in ancient heirloom forests. Used creatively, lumber with unusual coloration, knots, texture, and "distress" can save you money, keep the big trees in the woods, and add character to your home.

WoodWise Consumer Guides

• Buy WoodWise Products

• Find Good Wood

• Stop Junk Mail

• WoodWise Holidays

• WoodWise Clothing

• WoodWise Magazines