NC v2.2 MRc7: Certified Wood

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 companies are required to list the FSC claim and their respective FSC certificate code on all invoices and shipping papers containing certified products. A FSC COC certified door distributor (if certified under the "Transfer" system), would transfer the exact same FSC claim from the manufacturers invoice of certified products on to their company invoice, listing their (the door distributors) FSC COC certificate code. If the door distributor is not FSC COC and not installing the product, then the chain is broken. If the door distributor is not FSC COC certified but installing the product, then they are not required to be FSC COC certified as they are considered to be a sub-contractor. A door distributor that is not FSC COC certified but installing the certified doors is required to supply a copy of the last invoice with a valid FSC COC number on it to validate 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. through the supply chain. In this case it would be a copy of the manufacturers invoice. COC certificates for individual components of an assembly do not validate the end product. A manufacturer listing a FSC claim on a door whether it is all wood or only partly made of wood, is required to list the FSC claim of that assembly with their company FSC certificate code. This holds true whether they are manufacturing the product themselves or buying it from an out-source vendor and "transferring" the claim. Refer to the USGBC addenda dated 4/7/08 for more specifics.

Thanks Judy!
I'll try to explain to GBCI that we consider our supplier a sub-contractor and therefore fulfill the requirements.

Hi James,

The credit language refers to "wood building components," so I'm not sure if "exterior decking" would count as a "building component." Does anyone have experience with this?

Can you make a case that exterior wood exposed to the environment is ever 'permanent'? If you can, then I think that you would count it. However, I think most wood, like exterior decking, is not permanent as it tends to rot over time due to exposure.

I would definitely count it—and I think you must count it, in fact. I think that the "permanent' terminology being referred to here is in contrast with concrete forms, scaffolding, etc., used during construction.

So if we had wood benches permanently attached to the building on our roof garden, we would have to count it in MRc7?

Agree w/ Tristan; I would include the benches and decking.

Yes, I agree with Tristan.

Casework is "permanently installed" and counts toward the credit. It too is replaceable.

I think you pay the premium for it to create a market for sustainably harvested wood and sustainably managed forests. Sometimes you do things that don't make financial sense because they make sense in another way. I see LEED as a way to broaden the considerations and conversation regarding material selection.

As for where something loses the COC, there is probably more technical answer out there. I'm no expert but I see 2 places for the system to fail. First, how do we no that the molding manufacturer didn't mix 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. wood with non compliant wood? It may be too easy to mix the scraps. Same thinking goes for the 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. panel manufacturer. How can we really know that they don't mix something accidentally in the plant? This may seem overly picky to you right now.

After doing more research into this topic, the manufacturer would need to continue 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. - COC certifications themselves. Once FSC is satisfied you have the processes in place to keep product lines from contaminating each other, then you can pass along the COC.

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 certificate holders are required to have a Documented Control System (DCS) in place in order to maintain their FSC COC certification. The DCS includes procedures as to how a certificate holder will segregate or tagLEED Technical Advisory Group (TAG): Subcommittees that consist of industry experts who assist in developing credit interpretations and technical improvements to the LEED system. FSC goods from uncontrolled (non-FSC) goods. The procedures are reviewed on an annual basis by the auditor.

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. and particleboard FSC offerings are typically sold with a FSC Mix Credit claim. The FSC Mix Credit claim is based on volume credit accounting, and per the FSC standard, both FSC Pure and FSC Recycled material can be included in the credit account. Manufacturers can either choose to include FSC Recycled material in their FSC credit account, or they can limit the credit account to all FSC Pure wood. Those that choose to exclude FSC Recycled material from their credit account are then able to document the FSC content as all “new” wood.

Marian, I could imagine these being overlooked by a projec team, but I don't see a rationale for purposefully excluding them from MRc7,  if they are new and not recycled wood. What is your thinking on that?

Having wrestled with this concept the past few days, I think it makes total sense to include them. The only way to exclude them honestly would be to specify cores with recycled content. Tristan, do you know if anyone is at work on putting together a list of all wood products that would mandate MR 7 compliance? I see a lot of confusion in these thread; a list containing these materials, products and systems may seem obvious to some, but frankly, the more one thinks about it, the more confusing it gets! I'd be happy to collaborate with you and others on creating such a list.

Marian, I agree, it does seem to be less clear the closer you get to the topic. I'd also be happy to collaborate on creating a list.

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. has three types of claims. FSC Pure (FSC 100%), FSC Mixed Percentage, and FSC Mixed Credit. Products listed with a FSC Pure or FSC Mixed Credit claim are considered 100% FSC. FSC percentage claims are based on the FSC content of an assembly that is typically made up of components that are a combination of FSC Pure, FSC Mixed Credit and validated controlled wood. The FSC percentage is determined by the weight or volume of the 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. that is in that particular product. Unless the percentage is 100%, it is not 100% FSC. Manufacturers may choose to apply a FSC label to their products. For a product to have a FSC label, that product is required to have a minimum 70% FSC content. If not applying a FSC label, there is no minimum FSC percentage that has to be met. FSC does not require on-product labeling. Manufacturers whether they label their products or not, may choose to document their FSC percentage claim as one type of claim, noting a "minimum". Other manufacturers will document various claims (i.e. FSC Mixed 80%, FSC Mixed 94%) based on the actual FSC content of that assembly. In either case, the percentage that is noted as the FSC claim is the content of FSC certified wood that can be considered FSC. A product with a FSC Mixed 70% claim is 70% FSC, not 100%.

Thank you for clearing this up Judy. I will break up my costs based on the percentage noted.

I have a similar issue with a different credit and I found that the LEED Certification Policy Manual (https://www.leedonline.com/irj/go/km/docs/documents/usgbc/leed/config/te...) addresses this on page 6, under item 4.5 which reads: " 4.5 Rating System Updates & Revisions: The rating systems and the requirements contained therein will be subject to updates and revisions on an ongoing basis in accordance with the USGBC policies and procedures for rating system versioning and addenda. GBCI requires that a project team demonstrate that a particular project complies with the version of the rating system that was in place at the time such project was registered. Project teams may voluntarily elect to pursue certification by demonstrating compliance with a revised credit or prerequisite rather than the version of the credit or prerequisite that existed at the time such project was registered."

It would seem that we have the option...

Hi Stephen - we have submitted projects without invoices (registered prior to the 04/07/2008) and we have had them approved as well.

Reviewers are individuals and they have different styles, etc....just like anyone else. Without seeing your submittal I can only speculate at what might get a reviewer to ask for the invoices when it looks so obvious (to you) that they are not required:

1. This response kind of sounds like a stock answer that covers any project not submitting invoices...by making the note about the start date, it puts the burden on the submitter to verify when the project was registered, the burden is not on the reviewer.

It is very likely that all you need to do is politely state that the project was registered prior to 04/07 2008 (and give the registration date) + note that since invoices were not required to be submitted on projects registered prior to that date, the team has not been collecting them"......or something like that...

This lets the reviewer no the time status of your project and reminds them of the reason you are not submitting them. It also makes the conditions and response clear for anyone else that might see the documentation - I.E. you are clearly on the record.

You could consider offering any invoices that are available and making it very clear that you do not have them all (coupled with the note above)...that could go either way in hurting or helping your case depending on what you have...

2. There's an outside chance the reviewer has indentified some anomoly in your calculations and they are looking for clarity... I.E. Do you have a really high % 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. materials that might get them to fish for confirmation that you really are doing that well?

Is there any chance that you missed listing non-FSC wood for something commonly found on projects - thus raising a flag (it's rare that people forget to list FSC materials, but they do forget non-FSC!). I would suggest doing a once over on your submittal to make sure it all makes good sense.

| dp

Hi Lauren - Good Question...I have interpreted the credit in much the same way you have with one addition - it's all new wood 'permanently installed' on the project.

Here's the twist with Division 12 specified casework (as I'm sure you know)....Divison 12 is 'Furnishings' and wood furniture (desks, chairs and such things) is not required to be included in the NC 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. calculation. However, most pre-manufactured casework (which is frequently specified in Division 12), is not really furniture, it is in fact 'casework' and it is 'permanently installed'.

If it were 'Custom' Casework it would typically be specified in Division 6 which is clearly part of the Certified Wood Calculation....thus I would say that Division 12 Casework, permanently installed in the building is included in the Certified Wood calculation. I just happens to be in kind of an odd location within the masterformat numbering system.

| dp

But, the Reference Guide explicitly states Div 3- 10, 31 and 32 contribute to the MR credits. There is no language there about Div 12 wood products having to contribute. While I agree with Lauren and Doug regarding the spirit of MRc7, I'm not sure this is enforcable and therefore is a loophole.

There does appear to be a conflict in the rating system anguage.

The Wood Credits states that it applies to "wood building components" and that the tabulation should "only include materials permanently installed on the project" and then it lists such things a "wood doors and finishes."

Built-in casework would be captured in that definition, even if the broader MR language does not include Division 12 when if defines the scope.

Typically, when building codes or other reference standards are in conflict (which is not uncommon) the most stringent code or standards applies. So from the perspective that capturing the 'largest amount of wood' not the 'least amount of wood' in the tabulation results in the most stringent approach, one would include casework specified in Division 12.

Here's an OLD interpretation ruling from V2.1 that actually gets straight to the point:

MRc6/7: 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. 10/20/2003 ID Number: 6077 Primary Rating System: New Construction v2.1

"The LEED Materials and Resources (MR) credits look at materials used in the construction of the base building prior to the installation of fixtures, furniture and equipment (FF&E). Furniture designed as movable that is bolted down for operational purposes, such as the classroom desks noted in your inquiry, can be omitted from the materials calculations. Typically, casework that is constructed for the project and permanently installed by the general construction contractor is considered as a part of the building rather than the FF&E for the project, and should be included in the calculations."

This recent Interpretation Ruling from 5/9/2011, ID Number: 10058, New Construction v2.2 reinforces this older ruling by focusing on "Furnishings" and "permanently installed" with the "(Division 12)" language taking a secondary role via being placed in parenthesis. I.E. the statement does not use "Division 12" as the core defining charactreristic, it uses "Furnishings" and "Permanently installed."

"The pews can be excluded from the calculations. The inclusion of wood costs for MRc7 calculations only include permanently installed materials. Furnishings (Division 12) are not required to be included in this if excluded from all other materials costs calculations."

Pews meet the definition of furniture 'bolted down' for operation purposes from the 2003 ruling above.

I continue to lean towards including Pre-manufactured Casework specified in Division 12 in the credit tabulation. We have done so in the past and we would continue to do so based on the rationale above.

Cheers_
Doug

Gianni, I don't fully understand your question. Can you try to rephrase it? Why are some wood materials being subtracted?

Tristan: I think Gianni's question is similar to mine and relates to one of your posted comments below (under the heading "Recycled Wood" in which you comment: "recycled wood only counts toward MRc4, not MRc7. MRc7 is intended for "new wood," i.e. wood that came out of the forest, and is not recycled from an industrial process or consumer use".

The reference guide does indeed read that "the calcuations for 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. shall include only new wood products. The value of any recycled wood fiber content of a product that qualifies as contriubting to MRc4 shall be excluded". The subtle nuance here is the definition of "new wood products": does it intend to measure all "new products that are wood" or all products that contain only "new wood" (as in no recycled products)? Errata posted for v2.2 on 4/7/2008 made several revisions to the text under "Calculations" which clearly states that we are to list "all new (i.e. not reclaimed, salvaged, or recycled, etc.) wood products used on the project..."

If MRc7 deals only with NEW wood (that contains no reclcled products), then can we exclude from the MRc7 template all of the NEW product on the project that is "new" material but is composed of recycled fibers/materials? If this is possible to exclude from the template for MRc7, this will increase our percentage 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.-certified materials.

So Gianni's question would become: do we subtract from MRc7 all new materials to the project that contain recycled wood product and report only products that contain new wood (as in non-recycled wood products)?

I believe that the answer is "yes". Correct?

Yes, since the credit is only applicable to new wood, only new wood should be counted for the credit, whether compliant or not.

We have some products on our project that are new material, but contain percentages of recycled wood fiber. Does that fact that they contain ANY percentage of recycled material discount them from being identified on the MRc7 template completely, or are we to document for MRc7 the percentage of those products that are new wood materials along with the percentage value of those products that are associated with the new wood components?

Is it the intent of MRc7 that we deduct the value of the product associated with the amount of recycled materilas in it and report the remainder of value for the product on the MRc7 template?

As an example: the value of particle board on a project is $100. It contains 50% post consumer content; therefore, the value of the new wood component of the particleboard is $50. Should we record on the MRc7 template that the value of the new wood component of this product is therefore $50 (since the recycled content cannot be counted)? In this way, we have truthfully reported the new wood components for the project (and since the remaining 50% of the particleboard is not 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, this counts against our overall FSC percentage)....or....does the fact that the material contains recycled content mean that it isn't considered AT ALL in these calculations?

There are calculators to detremine associated costs contributing to the total wood budget for assemblies of various components, but we have not found similar direction for the materails themselves that contain percentages of recycled fibers.

I would consider this an "assembly' and treat it as such—getting credit for the new 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 and not including the recycled wood in my calcs.

LEED has, as a rule, been very specific in only accepting 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 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 this credit. If the program is not endorsed by FSC, then it won't qualify.

Fabiano, recycled wood only counts toward MRc4, not MRc7. MRc7 is intended for "new wood," i.e. wood that came out of the forest, and is not recycled from an industrial process or consumer use.

Thanks Tristan,
but I still don't understand the difference between 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. recycled and FSC recycled credit.

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. certifies both "new" wood, and recycled wood content. MRc7 is limited to new wood, and it also has to be FSC certified. So FSC certification is not enough—it also has to be new.

Am I helping?

Hi. I understand the fact that recycled 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 cannot contribute to this credit. However does the costs still need to be documented in the overall wood that is supplied in the documentation for this credit?

Megan, the recycled wood should not be considered in the denominator of credit calculations for MRc7—only new wood.

Hi Shaira - In my opinion and others on this blog, your company would need to be COC Certified since your millwork shop is unbundling and / or signficantly modifying 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. material. I.E. I would assume you are recieving plywood or MDO (or similar) that is then being cut, shaped and altered to make millwork. My experience is that these types of actions (altering the packaging and material form) would require you to be FSC / COC Certified.

Here's an example from a completely different trade: One of our printers uses FSC paper, but they cannot put the FSC Certified logo on the printed pieces because they have unboxed the paper, broken the reams, put the paper in their copiers and printed on it. They have altered the FSC product they recieved by unbundling it (modifying the packaging) and printing on it (modifying the form).

See Kevin Mortenson's September 30 comments above on this blog (located in a string starting August 13 by Tony Dodson titled Outsourcing Chain of Custody Managment) for a more expansive discussion on this topic.

Best Regards,
Doug

Hi Brian - In my opinion, yes. Shipping and Handling for raw material is part of the overall material value and we have not split it out in the past.

However, installation labor is split out.

Doug

Hi Brian - You might want start by checking on the status of the wood fibers used in the Paper - they may be recycled, in which case they would not be a part of the MR7 calculation and they would contribute MR 4 - Recycled Content.

Doug

Are you a manufacturer reporting components of a product? or are you a general contractor that is reporting the Product itself?

Doug, thanks. Kevin we are Constr. Mgr.

Doug- if the wood fibers used in the paper are not recycled can they then be included in the MR7 calculation?

I think if the wood fibers 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 then you may try this with the reviewers. I'm not aware of any project where the laminates were counted this way and you may have issues getting the proper documentation from the laminate manufacturer. Typically there is not a lot of money in laminates in a project and give that the wood fibers would be a portion of that material cost total, you may find this documentation not woth pursuing.

Susan, If the wood fibers cannot be documented 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. by the supplier, do we still need to account the laminates towards the total new wood material value for the final calculation?

Since Wilsonart began supplying 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 laminates most major plam suppliers are following suit. If the laminate is adhered to an FSC wood product that is being sold as an FSC certified product (like a cabinet) all wood based products in that assembly must be FSC certified. Otherwise the manufacturer must apply for a minor component derogation for that material, which must be less than 5% of the overall weight or volume of the materials in the assembly.

I am not aware of any project who counts or counted laminate in the MRc7 calculations. Anyone do this?

Elizabeth/Susan/Doug: We're using 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. Polyrey laminates on our project, which are adhered to FSC wood caseworks. I then assume I can account the whole casework unit as FSC certified. We are also using compact (phenolic) boards which adhere to other FSC wood casework types. Can I also account these boards towards my FSC calculation since it is declared FSC by the supplier as FSC mixte and FSC CW? In this case would I still need a declaration from the supplier to state if the wood fibers used for the paper are recycled or not? Thank you.

I'm thinking that your venturing into questions 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. on their chain of custody quality assurance program and out of my LEED knowledge base. Judy from Marshfield who posts on these boards may be able to point you in a better direction as it sounds like you are a manufacturer.

Overall, I think that if wood veneer is laminated to a wood substrate and both are FSC then it is a matter of determining the extent of modification of each product. I do think wood veneer counts in MRc7. I still don't think that plastic laminate or HPL should be in MRc7.

Geraldine: The kraft paper that comprises pLam's color and design must 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 to be applied to any FSC certified product. I typically itemize all the materials with wood components in our casework, including pLam, or veneer, or even edgebanding. The FSC assembly value is the ratio of their combined weights against the total assembled weight multiplied by the total assembly cost.

I do not know about the paper component (if any) of your phenolic board. If it contains no paper its itemized value is irrelevant except where the above calculation is made.

Note: recycled content is irrelevant in MR7. If your wood is FSC recycled its value must go either to MR4 or MR7. These credits are mutually exclusive.

Can someone comment on the use of FSC Controlled Wood in LEED? I don't see that it is approved for MR7.

Assemblies made of various wood components can be manufactured with a combination 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. 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. The use of both of these materials in a given assembly results in the end product having a FSC Mix percentage claim and typically identified with claims that are less than 100%. FSC Controlled Wood is not from a FSC certified forest nor is it FSC Chain of Custody certified. FSC Controlled Wood is wood from a non FSC certified forest that has been validated by FSC as complying with all of the requirements of the FSC Controlled Wood standard. FSC Controlled Wood is allowed in products with a FSC claim, including products supplied to LEED projects. Since FSC Controlled Wood is not FSC certified wood, the value of the controlled wood portion of the assembly does not contribute towards the MRc7 credit. FSC claims are based only on the weight or volume of the FSC certified wood in the product. Regarding laminate-Not all laminate is available as FSC certified. Some patterns, finishes, and thicknesses, are not available from various manufacturers. Manufacturers are able to utilize the non-FSC laminate material in their products with a FSC claim if they have completed a Minor Components Derogation Approval application and had it approved by their certification body.

Great Discussion on 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. Laminates! There are at least (3) questions in play here:

1) If the wood fibers used in the paper are not recycled can they then be included in the MR7 calculation?

Response: It Depends; Generally Yes. Laminates which contain significant amounts of wood should be included as part of the MR7 calculation as being FSC or Not FSC.

HOWEVER, Plastic Laminate would typically be 'embedded' in the value of laminated casework, laminated doors or other similar assemblies and the laminate would not be its own line-item. This means that in most cases, for an FSC Certified Laminate to be a positive contributor to MR7, the Casework, Door Assembly, etc. that it is laminated to needs to be an FSC Certified Assembly.

It basically works like this: If the FSC Certified laminate is adhered to casework (or something similar) manufactured off-site and delivered for installation at the job-site, then the Casework Manufacturer (that broke the 'packaging' and 'modified' the Laminate) would in turn need to be an FSC Certified Manufacturer AND they would need to certify the casework as an FSC Assembly (assuming the assembly meets the criteria).

It seems very unlikely that an FSC Certified Laminate applied to a wood cabinet body or countertop substrate (or similar) that is NOT made of FSC Certified material would contribute enough to make that assembly meet the threshold for an 'FSC Mixed Sources' Certification. FYI: FSC Mixed Sources generally means that a minimum % of the wood is FSC Certified and the remainder is from 'Controlled Sources' (but not FSC Certified); 'Controlled Wood' at its simplest means that the timber was not 'illegally harvested’ and meets the FSC Controlled Wood Standard as noted above by Judy.

IN THEORY if the FSC Certified Laminate was shipped to the job site and then 'cut and installed’ on-site by the contractor, it should be available for line-item consideration in the MR7 calculation as FSC Certified; just like FSC plywood shipped to the site that is then cut and installed by the on-site contractor can be be line-itemed as plywood in the MR7 calculations. HOWEVER that scenario rarely happens with laminates - it's usually included as part of a larger assembly.

2) Can the Phenolic Boards we are using on FSC Mixed Source cabinet bodies be uses as part of the FSC Calculation?

Response: It is unclear if you are adding these FSC Certified Phenolic Boards as a manufacturer delivering finished casegoods to the building contractor or if you are the building contractor adding them to FSC assemblies you have purchased. If you are the latter, the building contractor, then the answer should be YES, assuming the addition is essentially part of installing them. They should probably have a line-item of their own in the MR7 calculation since the Phenolic Boards (probably) have their own COC number and invoice.

If you are the former, I.E. a manufacturer (or similar) modifying an FSC assembly and then re-selling the assembly to the building contractor, then you most likely need to be FSC Certified as an organization to maintain the Chain of Custody (COC) protocol + you would need to recalibrate the FSC Mixed Sources Certification and meet the Mixed Sources criteria.

3) Can someone comment on the use of FSC Controlled Wood in LEED? I don't see that it is approved for MR7?

Response: It Depends; Generally NO. Controlled Wood as defined by FSC is not independently applicable as a positive 'line-item' contributor to the MR7 credit; HOWEVER it still needs to be reported, but not as contributing to the FSC % meaning that it would be a 'negative' contributor in the calculations (FYI ‘positive contributor’ or ‘negative contributor’ are my terms - not official terms from USGBC/ GBCI).

HOWEVER, if the ‘controlled wood’ is part of an FSC Certified Mixed Source Assembly, then it is embodied in the assembly and would end up being part of that assemblies ‘line-item’ in the MR7 calculation.

dp

Hi Tony - Can you clarify your last sentence a little? I'm confused about your definition of a 'Millwork' COC and 'Fabricator'....when you say 'Millwork" do you mean the raw materials (I.e. Plywood, veneer, MDO etc)?. I usually think of 'Millwork' as the finished 'Fabrication' (but not neccassarily 'installed').
dp

I agree with millwork being finshed product but not installed. The Fabricator (sub-subcontractor) had the job of purchasing the processed raw materials and transforming the products into cabinetry.
Would the Chain of Custody from the Millwork subcontractor be applicable if the Fabricator (who might not be Chain of Custody certified) is in charge of purchasing the wood and making sure the wood does not get mixed up with non-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.? The Millwork sub (that I would have a contract with) is simply delivering and installing. Most of the responsibility for maintaining that the millwork is made from 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 wood comes from the Fabricator. I'm thinking Would USGBC require some written QA/QC evidence from the fabricator that they are using FSC Certified wood.

Based on the LEED 2009 BD+C Reference Guide, your fabricator (a Sub-Subcontractor or 'Vendor') would 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 and be part of the COC chain. They have substantially handled and modified an FSC product without being the 'End-User' (E.G. they will beak open the bands on a bundle of FSC plywood, cut the plywood, farbicate cabinets from and then sell it.)

But your Millwork subcontractor would Not need to be COC Certified. Contractors and sub-contractors are considered an 'End-Users' -- this is graphically mapped out in the LEED 2009 BD+C Reference Guide on page 423.

Any hope of getting approval for a non-COC Vendor would probably need to be pursued through a Credit Interpretation Ruling (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) and then followed with an alternative compliance path narrative at the time of submittal.
dp

Thank you for your prompt response. That was my train of thought as well, but the subcontractor is stating that the fabricator would be held under their umbrella of COC Cert.; I'm not certain of USGBC's allowing of sub-subcontractors to do that. If the subcontractor purchased the input items for the Fabricator, would that help establish the COC cert. for the sub-subconsultant.

So the Millwork installation sub 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. COC Certified? And, if I understand correctly, the Millwork installation Sub is going to certify the product under their COC.....I think this is getting beyond the framework of LEED / USGC and getting into FSC Certification rules. You might want to go to the FSC website and download their certification rules / COC protocol.
dp

Hey guys, I see some terms being thrown around here and things potentially being miss applied, so I am going to try to add some clarity.
I will address the outsourcing issue as well in the process of this post.

A Millworker is not just the installer of the finished product. The Milllworker is a term applied to both the fabricator and the installer of the Millwork - or product. So for clarity I am going to reference Material supplier, Fabricator / Manufacturer, and Installer. As 3 separate entity's

Material supplier- would be a company that would sell to a fabricator / manufacturer. Selling sheets of 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./ PB. Dimensional Lumber etc (think lumber yard)

The Fabricator /manufacturer would purchase materials from the Material Supplier, and than alter / process that material and make a piece of millwork. Think Cabinets, Wallpaneling, reception desk etc.

The Installer would be the person that would be installing the millwork. This could be an extension of the fabricator / manufacturer, or it could be it's own individual company, that would purchase products from a Fabricator for install.

Who Needs 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?
The material supplier would have to be FSC-COC Certified to sell 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. products. Without their COC# on all shippers, invoices, and bill of ladings, the chain becomes broken, and the products do not hold any FSC Value.

The Fabricator / Manufacturer Also has to be FSC COC Certified. Otherwise the Millwork that they produce holds no value. They cannot simply pass on invoices for their materials and try to make a claim on their materials being FSC Certified.

NOW- within the framework of FSC Certification there is an allowance for that Fabricator / Manufacturer to Outsource. See page 23 of this link http://www.fscus.org/images/documents/standards/FSC_STD_40_004_V2.pdf

The FSC Certified Manufacturer (Company "A") might need to augment their production capacity, so they select another Fabricator / Manufacturer (Company "B") that is not FSC Certified to work with. Company "A" would enter into an Outsourcing agreement with Company "B". Whereby company "A" would purchase all FSC materials for Company "B" to do manufacturing. It would be Company "A" responsibility to ensure that company "B" follows all of the same guidelines in segregating FSC materials from Non FSC materials, etc. If the volume of work that company "A" was having company "B" do was large, the FSC auditor would inspect Company "B"s facility during their annual audit.
HOWEVER. Company "B" could never make any type of claim regarding manufacturing FSC products, and they cannot use the FSC logo.

Assuming that the installer is not a branch of the fabricator - The installer does not have to be FSC Certified. See USGBC addendum dated 8/25/2010 http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=6392 Page 23
So long as they don't modify any of the millwork packaging, or form except as is required for installation, and are careful not to mix or contaminate the FSC certified material with Non FSC material.

I hope this helps.

Our millwork fabricator is also the installer. He is using all 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. material and has COC certificates for it. As end user of the material is this adequate COC if fab/installer is not FSC?

The short answer is no. Please review the links at the end of this post.
Some have gotten away with this approach- based on the subcontractor claiming that he is simply an installer, and the end user. However USGBC issued an addenda that states that this is not acceptable.

In an effort to align itself with Forest Stewardship Council (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.) Chain of Custody (COC) Standards, the US Green Building Council has issued an addendum that helps refine the requirements of who needs to be FSC Certified, and who does not, in order to participate in the MR7 Sustainable Wood credit in the LEED rating system.

With this addendum, the USGBC has taken the stance that all organizations up to the end user must be 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. (CoC) certified in order to receive credit toward the MRc7 point. This includes organizations that manufacture products off site, and then install the material on-site. This addendum clarifies that if the installer manufactures or modifies the product (not including typical installation), the installer must be FSC CoC certified in order for that product to be counted for the MRc7 point.
However, if you are an install only subcontractor, you may take possession of FSC Certified products, install them on the project, and not be FSC COC Certified. “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 product’s packaging or form except as is required for installation.” This is because the end product would have been fabricated by an FSC Certified millwork / cabinet shop and is not being altered in any way. If you are this install only company, than you would simply pass on all of your invoices, and shippers for those FSC Certified products to the LEED AP on the project, in order for them to calculate the percentage of FSC Materials on the entire project.
The aim at this addendum is clearly to establish that shops that are receiving FSC materials and turning those FSC materials into a FSC product, whether installed by themselves or not, must have FSC COC Certification. Without the certification they can no longer make any type of claim to the products FSC content, and it will by default become a NON FSC product.
While this is still not entirely in line with Forest Stewardship Council standards; which requires that every party that takes ownership of the wood or wood product have COC Certification for the wood product to be called “FSC-Certified” – whether they modify it or not, this is nonetheless a large step in the direction of aligning LEED’s standards with those of FSC.

This change in understanding is important for General Contractors to understand. If a Non FSC certified Millwork sub is hired to perform on a LEED project that is trying to attain the MR7 Sustainable Wood Credit, the potential is there for the MR7 credit to be missed altogether, resulting in the Contractor delivering a project that does not deliver the level of sustainability, and LEED rating that the owner was sold, opening themselves up to litigation and loss of future business.

Here are 2 links that further discuss this issue
http://fscus.org/news/index.php?article=643
http://www.fscus.org/green_building/leed_faq.php

Here's the Addenda
http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=6392

Thanks for the information, although it was not what I had hoped to find. None of our good fabricators 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. They all have no problem acquiring and using FSC wood and providing COC certificates for it, but are not FSC themselves. They typically do the installations of their finished product.
Where can I find the requirements for a millwork shop to become FSC certified?