NC 2009 MRc7: Certified Wood

I have had some challenges with other exemplary performanceIn LEED, certain credits have established thresholds beyond basic credit achievement. Meeting these thresholds can earn additional points through Innovation in Design (ID) or Innovation in Operations (IO) points. As a general rule of thumb, ID credits for exemplary performance are awarded for doubling the credit requirements and/or achieving the next incremental percentage threshold. However, this rule varies on a case by case basis, so check the credit requirements. credits as well. Does the Innovation & Design base form you have selected match the submittal phase 'Construction Phase' or Design Phase' for the MR7....that can sometimes cause an issue.

dp

Tim,

I have not heard of this changing, or anyone (in the US) achieving compliance with SFI.

Perhaps others have?

Tim, it would be headline news in the green building world if a LEED project earned points using SFI wood. There is no change to LEED-2009 MRc7 as far as SFI goes.

Hi Valerie,
Invoices w/ the line-item $ value(s) and COC a number from the FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. certified truss fabricator should be adequate.

The fabricator has modified the FSC lumber they purchased. They have cut it and put it into an assembly (I.E. Trusses). They will determine it's FSC properties based on what they actually put into the truss...for example the trusses may be assembled from 'Mixed Sources' or they may be 'Pure' FSC.

You shouldn't need the individual lumber pieces spelled out, but line-items for the different trusses (assuming there is more than one type) would help validate your claim.

Getting the invoices with the shop drawings would be perfect, of course that may not be feasible if the purchase is not actually 'inked' until after the shops are approved. However, you should get the fabricators COC number / certificate with the shops as validation that they are in fact an FSC Certified fabricator and the shops should state that the trusses will be FSC certified.

Preferably the Specifications would be clear that the supplier / fabricator must provide line-itemed invoices with $ values for each line-item. Suppliers / fabricators are sometimes reluctant to do this and having it spelled out in the spec can be helpful.

You will also need line-itemed invoices for the NON-FSC certified woodWood from a source that has been determined, through a certification process, to meet stated ecological and other criteria. There are numerous forest certification programs in general use based on several standards, but only the Forest Stewardship Council's standards, which include requirements that the wood be tracked through its chain-of-custody, can be used to qualify wood for a point in the LEED Rating System. as part of the submittal.

Best,
Doug

Can you give a little more detail regarding invoices?

Are you requiring the raw material invoice and its costs? Or, the assembled truss? Both?

We are a commercial, architectural casework supplier.

Typically when FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. wood is indicated in the specs all wood for that project is purchased to be certified. This means that every assembled cabinet, reception desk etc uses FSC wood and generally shares a like claim.

If your supplier has purchased multple wood products, say plywood, particleboard, solid wood, each of these will have different claims from the mill. However, to meet the FSC's requirement the entire assembly will always be comprised of certified woodWood from a source that has been determined, through a certification process, to meet stated ecological and other criteria. There are numerous forest certification programs in general use based on several standards, but only the Forest Stewardship Council's standards, which include requirements that the wood be tracked through its chain-of-custody, can be used to qualify wood for a point in the LEED Rating System.. For example, a certified cabinet should have an FSC box and FSC doors. If it is laminated or has a veneer, the box, doors and laminate/veneer will all be FSC certified.

For the assembly the FSC claim will always be the lowest common denominator. So, if you have a piece of casework with a variety of woods, the one with the lowest claim is applied toward the FSC credit for LEED. For example, I have a cabinet made of particleboard FSC Mixed 80% with a solid wood door FSC Pure (100%) the total value for that cabinet can only apply 80% of its cost/value toward the LEED credit.

If your invoice itemizes each item with a different claim and value per piece I believe you will have to make calculations per item; however, if your invoice has a lump sum that itemizes a grouping of cabinets (ours are like that) there should be one claim for the whole lot and one calculation to be made.

If I understand your issue clearly, the project's purchase order price would be the assembled product value and is the single number you should use. 96.8% of that is the value that can be applied to MR7.

96.8% of the millwork is FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. certified. 3.2% is not. I've read elsewhere that "FSC does not allow partial claims of certified products, wood products with non-controlled wood components will not earn FSC certification. The entire product must be FSC-certified, Pure, Mixed (NN)%, or Mixed Credit to contribute towards the credit threshold for MR Credit 7."

Does that mean the millwork won't qualify?

Hi Mary,

Which version of the form are you using? The newest version of the form (v04) has a streamlined approach to the MR credits, with a spreadsheet to fill out and upload and then the form itself is just filling in totals from that sheet. I'd reccomend checking which form you have and possibly requesting that GBCI update your form (infomation will be lost, so back things up first) to make things simple.

Hi Emily. Looks like I'm using V03. I will ask GBCI to update me. Thanks for your help.

Assemblies that are sold separate from each other (not as a pre-hung unit) each have their own FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. Claim. If the invoice lists the door frame separate from the door itself, then the claims are based on the individual items. Pre-hung units where the door is actually shipped from the factory attached to the frame have a FSC claim based on the entire unit-door and frame).

For doors, the FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. claims are typically based on the weight or volume of the door core if it is a door core made of wood and of FSC material. Ciams may also be based on the vertical and horizontal edges and layons being FSC if utilizing a neutral based core such as wheatboard. The door cores that are of wood based material are typically a FSC Mixed Credit Claim. Once the FSC core is made into an assembly, it becomes a FSC Mixed % claim. Because FSC Mixed Credit claims are based on volume accounting, you would need to know from the door manufacturer what type of wood is used in their FSC credit account. This is key as FSC allows the credit accounts to include "new" wood and "recycled". There are door core manufacturers that only utilize new wood in their FSC credit accounts, which would mean that the FSC claim on the total assembly if based on that core would be of new wood. These same manufacturers may also use other controlled wood or recycled material in buiding the assembly, but the recycled material even if it is FSC is excluded from their FSC credit account. Door manufacturers will note both the recycled and FSC percentages. Manufacturers utilizing the core made from a credit account of all new wood will note that the FSC claim for that assembly (door) is based on all new wood, the remaining percentage up to a combined 100% would contribute towards the MRc4 credit. You can not exceed either one of the individual claims of recycled or FSC, or 100% combined. The door manufacturers that utilize core whereby the FSC credit account includes FSC recycled material and new wood have a more difficult time in separating recycled from new wood. Doors specified to contribute the most to the Mrc7 credit should note that the door core must be wood and that the FSC claim should be based on all new wood, including claims that are based on FSC Mixed Credit components.

Thank you very much Judy. That was how I was thinking to document it. Nonetheless, after talking to a company representative about the they specified that they do have two different cores, one is FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. mixed and the other ones is recycled content only. I'm still a little confused because according to their documentation it doesn't says that. http://www.maiman.com/en/site/Maiman1/products/LEED/
Regards,
Roberto

The key question to ask those manufacturers is if the FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. claim is based on the door core and the core itself has a FSC Mixed Credit claim, do they only utilize "new" wood in their FSC credit account. If their FSC credit account includes recycled content-even if it is FSC recycled, it can only apply to the MRc4 credit. LEED is different than FSC and while FSC allows recycled material to be used in the credit account, LEED requires all reclaimed, recovered, and recycled material to only contribute towards the MRc4 credit. This was further clarified in the USGBC 7.19.2010 addenda. Because of the differences in FSC and LEED, noting that they have a core that they only document FSC Mixed and another that they document recycled content does not clarify the content as to what percentage is new wood or what is reclaimed, recovered, or recycled. Some door core manufacturers have chosen to pay a premium to only source FSC new wood for their credit accounts for this reason.

I have a similar issue in that the contractor provided the original invoice, but had whited out all cost info. We submitted it as received, and the reviewer came back saying that we needed to provide the invoice showing all cost information. So, to answer your question Victoria, I would say no it isn't acceptable to provide invoices without cost (at least based on the review response we received).

Victoria - If you absolutely can't get the vendor invoice with costs, you might get by with what you suggested above ...but in my opinion, both the contractor and vendor invoices would need to be clearly 'mapped' together with the same line-items, descriptions, etc. You might even want to do a special tally sheet of your own to make this abundantly clear to the Reviewer. If it still comes back during the submittal review, then you can use the GBCI response as leverage to try and get the info from the contractor / vendor...let us know how thing progress!

Any update on this issue?
I have a subcontractor who refuses to provide their COC-supplier's complete invoice with their costs, as it would reveal their mark-up.
Has anyone been successful with submitting the matching subcontractor and COC-supplier line item invoices, where only the subcontractor's indicate values?

Cory, I don't know of a way around it. Any reviewer I have had makes the pricing on the invoice mandatory. You may not have any wiggle room in this. Can you exclude the material from your FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. applicable materials and just include it in your baseline materials cost? Or you could explain to the Owner that the credit is not going to be earned (and they are not going to get the full benefit of the FSC purchase) because of an uncooperative sub-contractor. See if a little pressure could help.

Andrew is right about using 'pressure points' to solve the problem...just make sure and use them with care because they can alienate the very people you asking for help from.

Another ‘pressure point’ method that is SOMETIMES successful, meaning you should use this 'pressure point' at your discretion, is to do your very best at documenting the credit during the initial submittal; I.E. submit with the best information you have. You might even consider work arounds like the one I describe above on June 20, 2011 using the alternative compliance path method (you should assume that this will most likely NOT be successful!!) and then use the LEED reviewers comments (assuming they say No) as leverage and proof that you really do need the information you were requesting (like the $value on the invoice) to earn the credit.

There's risk in this of course, because you've submitted without having the officially approved documentation in place, so make sure you do this with your eyes wide open and be prepared to follow-up during the clarification stage.

Having said that, sometimes the only thing that will get the information you need is some project specific proof, from the GBCI, that the credit is at risk because you don't have the information needed – make sure you have clearly asked for the information and you have afforded adequate time for a response from the supplier before you take this step!

Let us know how you work out your challenge and if it succeeds!
Doug

What is your role in the manufacturing process? Are you the end user? Or are you purchasing this veneer and creating and assembly with other FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. wood products?

Hi Kevin. I am an architect and will be specifying this wood veneer. The supplier has informed me that they do not have FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. Pure or Mixed products, they only have FSC Controlled logs from which they make the veneer.

It is my understanding that in order to be eligble for LEED, you need to either specify FSC Pure products OR combine the FSC Controlled wood with FSC Pure wood to create FSC Mixed.

Can you verify?
Thanks
Mary

This short answer is that FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. controlled materials hold a 0 value in FSC's calculations and a $0 in LEED calculations.

With that being said however the Veneer provider is correct.
If this veneer supplier will be selling this veneer to a shop that will apply this veneer to a FSC certified piece of core material (PB or MDFMedium-density fiberboard (MDF): Panel product used in cabinets and furniture; generally made from wood fiber glued together with binder; similar to particleboard, but with finer texture, offering more precise finishing. Most MDF is made with formaldehyde-emitting urea-formaldehyde binder.) than that shop performing that service will make the calculation and claim on that veneered panel not the veneer supplier. The shop can use FSC core, FSC balance sheet (on the back side of the panel), and this FSC Controlled veneer on the face - and come away with a panel that is FSC Mixed 90% (aprox - the FSC Controlled veneer would make up about 10% of the assembly by weight or volume)
This use of FSC controlled material is not to be confused with using a non-FSC material in an assembly which is strictly forbidden.

So it all depends on whom this veneer supplier is selling this product to, and where your claim for this project will be coming from

I should have also noted that this is a strong example on why the MIllwork / Cabinet shop would have to be FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts.- COC certified. If they are not, than they cannot make this vital calculation / claim on the end product. Thus leaving you with a non FSC Porduct.

Thank you for the comprehensive explanation Kevin, this information is very helpful!

I am confused on the 'new wood' restriction on the certified woodWood from a source that has been determined, through a certification process, to meet stated ecological and other criteria. There are numerous forest certification programs in general use based on several standards, but only the Forest Stewardship Council's standards, which include requirements that the wood be tracked through its chain-of-custody, can be used to qualify wood for a point in the LEED Rating System. credit in the 2010 Addendum. Here's why:
when a company sells a product that is FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. Mixed Credit (not a percentage, but 100%), that means that the entire volume of the product is certified as FSC Mixed Credit. That volume is removed from the FSC Credit Account. The FSC credits that go into the Credit Account are FSC fiber which is comprised of all or a combination of: FSC Mixed Credit CoC products (may include pre-consumer recycle - which is not considered 'new wood per the definition in the addendum!), FSC Pure products, and post-consumerWaste material generated by households or by commercial, industrial and institutional facilities in their role as end-users of the product, which can no longer be used for its intended purpose. This includes returns of materials from the distribution chain (source: ISO 14021). Examples of this category include construction and demolition debris, materials collected through curbside and drop-off recycling programs, broken pallets (if from a pallet refurbishing company, not a pallet-making company), discarded products (e.g., furniture, cabinetry and decking) and urban maintenance waste (e.g., leaves, grass clippings, tree trimmings, etc.). reclaim (sources verified/auditied by the FSC certified company and their certification body). The entire amount of an FSC Mixed Credit (100%) order removes the equivalent amount of credits from the FSC credit account. Why is LEED excluding the 'recycled' portion of this responsibly sourced material?
It seems that an FSC Mixed Credit product is perceived as being comprised of a 'bit of this and a bit of that that' materials which are not recognized as 'FSC certified' components. It should be clearly understood that per FSC STD 40-004, when FSC Mixed Credit is purchased, you are purchasing FSC chain of custody material that is being removed from an account that was creditied based on FSC requirements. Ongoing production at an FSC certified site includes inputs of 'FSC fiber (see preceeding description) and Controlled Wood (either purchased as such or determined meet FSC Controlled Wood requirements by a company controlled wood program). This should not confuse the fact that FSC Mixed Credit (100%) is considered 100% certified volume by FSC.
What confuses me is why the recycled content of an FSC Mixed Credit product cannot be counted toward the credit (please correct me if I have misunderstood this restriction). The entire FSC certified lot should be considered FSC chain of custody...is it now the intent of USGBC to reject the very concept of 'responsible wood sourcing' that the USGBC has embraced? The USGBC should be applauded for the intent of the MR7 credit for encouraging the use of wood from responsible sources and what better sources than from products which use the fundamentals of FSC, which the USGBC continues to recognize as the leading forest management program in the industry? On the 'new wood' issue: there are not enough FSC certified forests to supply the building industry with only FSC Pure, or FSC Mixed Credit made only from new wood! Responsible use of ALL materials must be recognized, We need to embrace the environmental, social and economical realities of our natural resources...and ensure these materials are being used in the most responsible manner which continues to sustain them for generations to come.

GBCI actually does want to review dozens of invoices, based on my experience. You will have to work with your suppliers so they can send you invoices that list the COC number and FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. Pure/Mixed Credit/Mixed N% beneath the itemized products, even if they all have the same COC number and are all Mixed Credit- do not allow the supplier to put one COC number at the bottom of the page, as GBCI will not accept this. You will also need to provide invoices for all non-FSC products. I typically zip all my invoices with their respective COC's together in one file for submittal. Good luck!

Hmm. I have a certificate stating that a supplier is COC certified to sell FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. Pure and FSC Mixed products. Their COC # is listed next to every FSC item on every invoice. Is that sufficient? Thanks.

Almost. Because the certificate states the supplier can sell anythign from Pure to Mixed products you will need the supplier to identify behind each item's COC number whether the product was FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. Pure, FSC Mixed Credit, or FSC Mixed (and then what % is the claim). This will clarify the value at which you count each FSC item (is it 100% for Pure or Mixed Credit items or is it 70% on a Mixed product). With the certificate (check to make sure it is still valid on the the http://info.fsc.org/ website), the invoice listing COC number and FSC content you will be able to complete your template and provide adequate documentation.

FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. procedures require the product claim be listed by each product item on invoices and shipping documents. The documents should state the FSC claim such as; FSC Mixed xx% (SW-COC-000000) or FSC Pure (SW-COC-000000), not just the FSC COC number.

Good - this is helping. On some lines it says "Mixed 70%" and on others just "Mixed Credit." I presume I have to go back to the supplier to get the % for the latter - correct?

FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. - Mixed Credit should be valued as 100% of the cost.

Great! You actually don't need to go back to the supplier. Per an April 7, 2008 USGBC Memorandum FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. Pure and FSC Mixed Credit are both considered 100% FSC content. Only the FSC Mixed is a product with variable content (anything from 1% to 99% FSC content). This Memorandum gives directicon on COC certificates and invoices that the GBCI will reference when reviewing your submittal. One tip for remembering the difference between Mixed Credit and Mixed is that the shorter of the two words (Mixed) is typically the one "short" on information, meaning you have to usually go ask for the specific %. Good luck!

One other thing: the subcontractor gave me the total cost for each type of material (e.g. "Fire rated plywood sheets") but there are multiple invoices for it. The invoices only state the quantity ordered and price per unit. Two questions here: first, should I do the math for GBCI and provide the total cost for each individual purchase? Second, on the template spreadsheet can I summarize each product type instead of listing the individual purchases?

Thanks for all this assistance!

Here is the addenda instructions. If you follow the advice about developing a spreadsheet and reference the invoices (by #), that will take the guess work out of the auditor's hands and will make for a smoother review.

List all new wood products (not reclaimed, salvaged, or recycled) on the project and identify which components are FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. certified. The cost of all new wood products, both FSC certified and not, must be tallied. Develop a spreadsheet to calculate the amount of new wood and the amount of FSC certified woodWood from a source that has been determined, through a certification process, to meet stated ecological and other criteria. There are numerous forest certification programs in general use based on several standards, but only the Forest Stewardship Council's standards, which include requirements that the wood be tracked through its chain-of-custody, can be used to qualify wood for a point in the LEED Rating System. permanently installed on the project. Wood products that are not FSC certified and those that are identified on invoices as FSC Pure and FSC Mixed Credit should be valued at 100% of the product cost unless the product is an assembly in which case only the new wood portion of the product counts for credit, see the guidance for assemblies in this credit. Wood products identified as FSC Mixed (NN)% should be valued at the indicated percentage of their cost, for example, a product identified as FSC Mixed 75% should be valued at 75% of the cost. FSC does not allow partial claims of certified products, wood products with non-controlled wood components will not earn FSC certification. The entire product must be FSC-certified, Pure, Mixed (NN)%, or Mixed Credit to contribute towards the credit threshold for MR Credit 7.

For example, a product that includes multiple wood components, like a door, the entire product must be FSC certified. The door cannot be labeled, or claim, that only the door core is FSC certified

What if the invoice doesn't specify Pure or Mixed at all, just has the item name and the COC # beneath it?

Technical answer: You will need to get the supplier to revise the invoice to state Pure, Mixed Credit or Mixed N% with the COC number beneath each line item.

Judgement call: Now if this is going to be difficult to get from your supplier, I sometimes make a judgement call and list this product as non-FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. on my template. It would be in a situation where $152 dollars worth of product just has the COC number, I know the supplier is going to be difficult and hold up the timing of my submittal, I have over a million dollars in FSC wood product already documented, and my FSC% is about 95%...then adding this $152 as non-FSC is not going to hurt your submittal. To save you and the client time and money, I would enter it as non-FSC.

Hi Donna - The LEED NC V2009 Reference guides says to "include only materials permanently installed in the project." So in my mind, the real question focuses on whether the wood product is going to be "permanently attached" to the building, regardless of the Specification Division.

Wood products show up in a range of spec sections, depending on the specifier, so using the "permanently attached" rule is how I have determined if it is included in the MR 7 Credit for LEED NC for years now.

If the casework is easily moveable, (I.E. on casters), then it might(?) be considered furniture...

| dp

Hi Michael - Sorry for the slow reply - your post slipped past me while I was attending The Living Futures Conference in Vancouver.

I would interpret the July 19, 2010 USGBC Addenda Post (Addenda spreadsheet PDF page 29, line-item indentified referring to Page '397' of the LEED BD+C 2009 Reference Guide, First Edition) as NOT allowing the Veneer Only on a Non-FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. certified door assembly to contribute to the FSC Credit. I would also interpret the credit as requiring you to list the value of the Veneer (assuming it is new wood) as part of the 'tallied' wood on the project.

The addenda states: "List all new wood products (not reclaimed, salvaged, or recycled) on the project and identify which components are FSC certified. The cost of all new wood products, both FSC certified and not, must be tallied."

The addenda goes onto say: "The entire product must be FSC-certified, Pure, Mixed (NN)%, or Mixed Credit to contribute towards the credit threshold for MR Credit 7. For example, a product that includes multiple wood components, like a door, the entire product must be FSC certified. The door cannot be labeled, or claim, that only the door core is FSC certified."

Here is a link to the compiled addenda PDF - you may want to review the addenda to see if you concur with my interpretation:

http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=6392

Although the Veneer may not be claimable under LEED, it's still FSC, which is a good thing...

| dp

Doug,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I'm still uncertain, though, about this situation, because of your first quote from the addendum, where it states "List all NEW WOOD products (not reclaimed, salvaged, or recycled) on the project and identify which components are FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. certified." [emphasis added] In other words, identify which new-wood components are FSC certified.

I read that as saying that the recycled-wood core is excluded from the MRc7 calculations entirely -- in the same way as it would be if the core were foam, or paper honeycomb -- because it is not "new wood".

I wonder if the second portion of the addendum that you qouted should more accurately read "For example, a product that includes multiple NEW wood components, like a door, the entire product must be FSC certified. The door cannot be labeled, or claim, that only the door core is FSC certified IF IT CONTAINS OTHER NON-FSC, NEW WOOD COMPONENTS." [uppercase text added]

The LEED requirement for FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. claims on doors is that the Forest Stewardship Council's requirements are met in the construction of the door. FSC only allows a manufacturer to use FSC chain-of-custodyChain-of-custody (COC) is a tracking procedure for a product from the point of harvest or extraction to its end use, including all successive stages of processing, transformation, manufacturing, and distribution. certified woodWood from a source that has been determined, through a certification process, to meet stated ecological and other criteria. There are numerous forest certification programs in general use based on several standards, but only the Forest Stewardship Council's standards, which include requirements that the wood be tracked through its chain-of-custody, can be used to qualify wood for a point in the LEED Rating System. and FSC controlled wood for the wood components in an assembly. If a specification calls out for a mahogany veneer for the doors and the manufacturer can not source FSC certiifed or FSC controlled mahogany the door cannot be claimed as an FSC certified product even though the core may be FSC certified particleboard door core. In my conversations with FSC-US and the MRc7 TAGLEED Technical Advisory Group (TAG): Subcommittees that consist of industry experts who assist in developing credit interpretations and technical improvements to the LEED system. team the intent is to be in alignment with the FSC requirements. In the past LEED claims were made on individual components used in an assembled product even though the door itself could not be claimed as FSC. The purpose of the requirement is to make sure the door is FSC certified by using FSC chain-or-cstody and FSC controlled wood materials in the assembly. Additionally controlled wood products are required for the recycled wood-based materials used in assemblies. LEED only recognizes the new wood for the calculations for the FSC content whereas FSC requires that the only inputs allowed for FSC certified assemblies be FSC certified, FSC controlled and neutral materials (non-wood) components.

Roberto, since the carpenter/cabinet-maker would be considered the installer or "end user," no COC is required by the contractor according to the USGBC. The COC is only required for manufactures/suppliers/vendors. So the material would definitely count towards the credit as long as all invoices and COC's are documented correctly.

Thank you!

Hi Robert - I would have to respectfully offer a differing opinion from above and lean heavily towards saying 'No' - "purchasing FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts.-COC certified woodWood from a source that has been determined, through a certification process, to meet stated ecological and other criteria. There are numerous forest certification programs in general use based on several standards, but only the Forest Stewardship Council's standards, which include requirements that the wood be tracked through its chain-of-custody, can be used to qualify wood for a point in the LEED Rating System. (i.e 4'X8'[2,44x1,22m]) and giv[ing] it to the carpenter/ cabinet-maker for the final stage of production" will not satisify the COC criteria for LEED.

The rational for my opinion comes from the "Document Addenda, LEED Reference Guide for Green Building Design and Construction, 2009 Edition (first edition)" Here's the link (you should take a look at this document and come to you own conclusion):

http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=6392

Page 28 states that "Entities that install an FSC-certified product on the project building/site (typically project contractors or subcontractors, but also furniture installers and the like), do not require CoC certification as long as THEY DO NOT MODIFY THE PRODUCTS PACKAGING OR FORM EXCEPT AS REQURED FOR INSTALLATION (capitalization added). Contractors and sub-contractors that temporarily possess FSC-certified material prior to installation should be careful not mix or contaminate the FSC-certified material with non-FSC-certified material."

In my opinion, converting sheets for FSC material into cabinets would qualify as modifying its form - going far beyond basic installation.

| dp

Doug - I agree with your assessment here, but I am curious if you know the reasoning behind it. Why does the cabinet-maker need to be FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts.-certified if he can provide CoC numbers for all the raw materials he uses? Does the FSC-certification process include other aspects of the contractor's business besides wood purchases?

Hi Steve - Based on what you have quoted from the LEED 2009 BD&C addenda and what you've said about the product, it sounds like the flooring product is 1). all wood that is 2). more like a door than a cabinet or piece of furniture which might contain non-wood components; this points to the entire product being certified.

Your product may or may not qualify as FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. Mixed Credit; it will depend on the overall operation. FSC Mixed Credit is similar to a carbon offsetA fiscal unit measured in metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) representing six main categories of greenhouse gases. Aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, one carbon offset represents the reduction of one metric ton of carbon dioxide (or its equivalent in other greenhouse gases). Carbon offsets are typically purchased by consumers of fossil fuels or products using fossil fuels, as a way to "offset" or negate their negative environmental impact. or renewable energy credit - the FSC fiber might not all be in the specific product you installed, but an equal amount of fiber that is not in the product you've installed, is another product.

Based on comments from FSC US website, FSC Mixed Credit will result in 100% of the wood product value contributing to the LEED Certified WoodWood from a source that has been determined, through a certification process, to meet stated ecological and other criteria. There are numerous forest certification programs in general use based on several standards, but only the Forest Stewardship Council's standards, which include requirements that the wood be tracked through its chain-of-custody, can be used to qualify wood for a point in the LEED Rating System. Credit.

If you haven't been there, go to FSC US webpage addressing LEED FAQ/'s and refer to the quesiton: "WHY ARE PRODUCTS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED ON VENDOR INVOICES AS “FSC Mixed [NN]%” VALUED LESS THAN PRODUCTS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED AS “FSC Pure” OR “FSC Mixed Credit,” WHICH ARE VALUED AT 100%?"

Here's the link:
http://www.fscus.org/green_building/leed_faq.php

| dp

In response to Steve's questions I agree with his comment that the product is an assembly. The two components used to manufacture the flooring would be classified as "inputs" which can be with different FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. claims and without FSC claims. The requirement for the veneer would be that is is a "controlled" wood input. The FSC percentage would be the volume or weight of FSC input divided by the total volume or weight ot the final product. The product would then qulaify as a FSC Mixed xx% claim. The FSC content of the final flooring assembly would then need to noted on the packing list information and invoices. Please reference FSC-STD-40-004 (version 2-0) EN Percentage System and Annex I: comparison of the transfer, percentage and credit system.

Steve,
This might get a little long, so hold on – here we go.
It sounds like you are purchasing a wood flooring product that is made up of FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. backing with a Non FSC Veneer applied.
Correct?
I understand it to be that you are not the manufacturer.

The short answer is that if this product is sold to you without an FSC Claim, than you must put the entire value of this product in your ‘non FSC’ column for this calculation (even if you’ve been told that it has some FSC material in the assembly). If this product is sold to you with an FSC claim, than depending on the type of claim on the product, depends on how much of the dollar value gets allocated to FSC and what amount goes to non FSC.

Here’s the reasoning and some clarification.
This product should come from the manufacturer either with or without an FSC Claim –simple as that. If it has no claim (even if you know it has FSC Core) than you must put the entire value of this product in the ‘non FSC’ column for your project calculation. The FSC Claim would appear on the invoice and shippers from the supplier.
If the supplier of this product is not FSC COC Certified, than they cannot ever make any claim regarding the FSC content of this product. Thus their invoice could never include the documentation needed to satisfy the requirements for this credit. (FSC COC# & FSC Claim type).

If you are the manufacturer, than first you must be FSC COC Certified for you to make any type of claim on this product. If you were an FSC COC Certified manufacturer, you would know that you cannot put a NON FSC veneer on a FSC Core and ever make any type of claim on this product.
FSC Does not allow you to do this.
I could go on about minor component derogations etc. But it will always lead back to the fact that you cannot mix FSC with NON FSC and have an FSC Product.

The guidance for assemblies would apply to something like a cabinet, (an item with wood and non wood components)
If I sell you a cabinet that is made up of wood (sides, top, bottom, door etc.) and metal (hardware, hinges, drawer glides) AND all the wood in that assembly is FSC material, than I can sell you an FSC Certified product. However when reporting that product to GBCI for the MR7 Credit, you would need to figure out what amount of that assembly is wood, and what amount is metal, and only report the value of the wood in that product. Your manufacturer of that product should be able to help you out with that calculation.
As an FSC COC Certified manufacturer, I could not make an FSC claim on that cabinet if I used a mix of FSC and NON-FSC wood Materials. If I did this than the entire product would be considered a NON FSC assembly, and the chain of FSC product would end with me. Thus giving you the consumer a non FSC product.

Mike’s comments are a little misleading. They are accurate if you are a FSC COC Manufacturer, not if you are a consumer.
You cannot purchase a product and on your own decide what the FSC Claim is for a product. The process that Mike lays out is the calculation procedure for a FSC COC Manufacturer of a product ONLY.

Hi Kevin,
I am not sure why you say "If you were an FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. COC Certified manufacturer, you would know that you cannot put a NON FSC veneer on a FSC Core and ever make any type of claim on this product. FSC Does not allow you to do this"
The LEED reference guide gives a clear example under "Examples" of how to calculate an assembly that has a veneer that is one of the wood-based components but is not FSC certified. I agree that the Manufacturer must be an FSC COC, but I thought the whole point of the FSC Mixed xx% was for products that have some FSC Wood and some non-FSC wood. Here is a definition I came across:
"FSC Mixed xx%:
This material category details a specific content of FSC-certified material in the product. For labeling purposes, the % must be greater than 70% and there must be documentation to prove this percentage. Most cabinetry, furniture or custom woodworking will carry this label due to the product being built from various inputs. FSC Mixed xx% most often trades under the Percentage systems."

Heather, there are 2 perspectives to this issue. First is what USGBC has written regarding what is and is not acceptable with FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. materials. The second is the responsibility that a COC Certified manufacturer has to FSC and the standards which they are certified against.

There had in the past always been a 'grey' area between these two before the release of an addendum on July 19th 2010. Regardless of what LEED has published in the past, what is important is what is found in the addenda's and CIRCredit Interpretation Ruling. Used by design team members experiencing difficulties in the application of a LEED prerequisite or credit to a project. Typically, difficulties arise when specific issues are not directly addressed by LEED information/guide's. Staying current with these can be time consuming, but is the responsibility of each individual LEED AP/ GA. Unfortunately simply reading the reference guide without taking these other documents into consideration will not give you an accurate picture of what is required. Please reference the attached link.
http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=6392

On page 28 & 29 there is line item 397 that lays out how you do the calculations for FSC products. Notice the last part of that paragraph "For example, a product that includes multiple wood components, like a door, the entire product must be FSC certified. The door cannot be labeled, or claim, that only the door core is FSC certified." This is an example of a non FSC veneer being applied to an FSC core, USGBC no longer accepts this methodology for FSC claims - even though the example you sight is written in the reference guide, it is superseded by this addenda. This addendum brought USGBC into alignment with FSC standards.

This directly ties into the second part of this FSC puzzle.
As an FSC COC certified manufacturer, I cannot apply a non FSC face veneer to an FSC core and EVER make a claim that the product is FSC certified. FSC strictly forbids this exact application.
The second misunderstanding from your post is that FSC would allow the use of non FSC materials into an assembly / calculation and that's how you arrive at the FSC mixed xx %. FSC does not allow the use of non FSC materials in any assembly that will carry an FSC claim or label. (The caveat to that being that under some circumstances, a minor component derogation may be allowed if there are extreme circumstances, and even if this derogation is exercised, that material must make up less than 5% of the entire assembly. - Still under this derogation the material cannot be a face veneer.)

A company that is making a FSC mixed percentage claim is arriving at this figure one of 2 ways. Either they themselves are mixing materials with an FSC Pure or an FSC Mixed percentage claim into one product, thus relegating the FSC claim down to a percentage based claim. Or they are mixing FSC labeled wood with 'controlled wood'. Controlled wood is wood that has been harvested by non FSC parties, and then later shown to have met FSC's principals and criteria for sustainably harvested materials. Even though this material has been proven to have been harvested sustainably, the fact that a non FSC company did this now makes this wood a lesser product. Using FSC Controlled wood in an assembly will default your claim to a percentage based system. (IE 95% of the wood in my cabinet is FSC Pure, 5% is Controlled wood - my claim on that cabinet is FSC Mixed 95%)

You can find this information here - http://www.scscertified.com/docs/FSC-STD-40-004_V2-0_EN_Standard_for_CoC...
Look at the last 2 pages of this document. This is the visual representation of how claims are made.

Hope this helps.

FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. does allow assemblies such as wood doors to carry FSC Mixed % claims as noted above, as long as the wood in the assembly that is not FSC has been assessed as Controlled Wood and validated as such either through a company risk assessment that has been approved by the manufacturers certfication body, or by purchasing components from vendors that are FSC CW certfified. Wood in the assembly including the vertical and horizonatal edges of doors, door crossbands, face veneer, light molding, etc. must comply. FSC nor the USGBC requires "all" wood to be FSC. The 70% threshold is only required if the product has a FSC on-product label. On-product labels are not required by the FSC. It is optional. If the product does not have a FSC on-product label applied to it, then any amount of FSC % can be claimed. While there is no minimum FSC % requirement, the goal is to supply the greatest amount of FSC contribution possible.

Judy, I agree with most of your statement. However your statement "FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. nor the USGBC requires "all" wood to be FSC" is misleading.
Wood inputs can be either
FSC Pure
FSC Mixed Credit
FSC mixed xx%
or
FSC Controlled wood.
If you use a wood that does not fit into one of these 4 categories on your door, than your door no longer holds any FSC value.
As you stated the 70% threshold is only for labeling purposes. However all wood must be from one of the above categories to carry any FSC claim on the invoice- which is used for submittal to GBCI.

Kevin,
We can continue to agree to disagree. Judy's comment is correct in that you can provide "controlled wood" as FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. controlled wood or controlled wood through an organization's controlled wood risk assessment. The controlled wood does not have to be FSC controlled wood, but the organization better have the approved risk assessment if they are not providing FSC controlled wood.

Agreed mike, I think it's a matter of semantics.

One of the better documents explaining in depth the history and details of controlled wood can be downloaded from the Dovetail Partners website at http://www.dovetailinc.org/reportsview/2007/sustainable-forestry/pmatthe...

Thanks Judy - this is great. As mentioned above much of the confusion comes from semantics. I consider FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. Controlled Wood to be "non-FSC certified" since the wood itself is not actually "certified" - at least not as I understand the semantics. I believe it is more correct to say the wood complies with standards - is that correct? However, it would have been much clearer in my post had I referenced the FSC Controlled Wood standard. I also agree it is very important to keep up with the addendae and I do. I try to cut and paste into my Reference Guide all the addendae, but it is making for a very bulky Guide and is time consuming. There have been so many addendae since 2009, I think anyone who purchased a Guide in the past should have access to a one-time printing of an updateing Guide with all addendae incorporated. But that is just an aside....

The following is taken directly from a document that our FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. certfication body (SCS) published. "FSC Controlled Wood products do not originate from forests certified to an FSC Forest Management standard." This same document also list the following "If your company is seeking to undertake a Controlled Wood verification program to determine whether the non-FSC certified virgin wood/fiber you are sourcing comes from forests that meet the five criteria of the FSC Controlled Wood standard, you must meet all the requirements of the FSC-STD-40-005 V2-1 standard." Hope this helps.