The U.S. Green Building Council is accepting public comment for proposed changes in how the LEED green building rating system awards points for certified wood. The proposed revisions would "set forth a clear set of metrics that any forest certification system must meet in order to be recognized within LEED," the group said. Currently, only wood products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council are eligible for LEED points.
“It was clear from our extensive research that the increasing internationalization of the wood supply chain, the changing ownership structure of American forests, and the increasing diversity of wood certification programs globally demanded a more holistic, transparent approach,” said Brendan Owens, vp LEED Technical Development, USGBC.
Under the newly proposed credit language, wood certification systems would be evaluated for eligibility in areas including Governance, Technical/Standards Substance, Accreditation and Auditing, and Chain of Custody and Labeling.
Public comment will be accepted until 5 p.m. PST Sunday, September 7, 2008. For more information visit www.usgbc.org.
