USDA: Wood is the Greenest of Green Building Materials
A new Forest Service study confirms wood is the greenest of green building materials, particularly wood that is certified as sustainable by credible forest certification systems.
The Forest Service study lists credible forest certification system as including AFF’s very own American Tree Farm System®, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and the Forest Stewardship Council.
The green building market is expected to grow to a $173 billion industry by 2015. Giving the green light to wood as the green building material should dramatically impact the market for sustainably grown wood in the United States.
“Wood should be a major component of American building and energy design. The use of wood provides substantial environmental benefits, provides incentives for private landowners to maintain forest land, and provides a critical source of jobs in rural America,” U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack said during the release of the research results.
Secretary Vilsack is a champion for working family forests, and understands their importance to America’s rural economies. The USDA continues work with the AFF and partner organizations to implement a new strategy to promote wood.
The research that the U.S. Forest Service is doing will give wood, especially certified wood, the necessary ammunition to be competitive in green building markets, opening up more markets for family forest owners. Read AFF's press release on this week’s announcement.
Strong markets are an important issue for Tree Farmers, and we are making progress on the green building front. However, policy issues continue to arise that discriminate against wood products. One of our top five recommendations to Congress for the 2012 Farm Bill is to open markets for wood products.
Take a look, and let us know what you think about this announcement in the comments section, below.
Photo credit: iStock
