USGBC Creates Pilot Credit on Timber Traceability

The U.S. Green Building Council has introduced a Timber Traceability LEED pilot credit. It is designed to increase transparency in timber supply chains and reduce the risk of illegally harvested wood entering the buildings industry supply chain, says USGBC.

The development of the pilot credit was led by a team of timber legality, forestry and environmental representatives from organizations recognized for leading the fight against illegal logging, including the Environmental Investigation Agency and World Wildlife Fund.

Legislation

Major wood products importing countries have adopted legislation intended to combat illegal logging by making it a crime to source and trade wood that was not legally produced in the country of origin, says USGBC.

The new pilot credit is designed to align with and support existing LEED credits and alternative compliance paths that deal with wood as well as other widely accepted approaches to the exercise of due care.

Nadine M. Post, ENR's former editor-at-large for buildings, is an award-winning journalist with 45 years of experience covering trends, issues, innovations, controversies and challenging projects. Post has written about many industry giants, including 10 ENR Award of Excellence winners. And she has covered disasters, failures and attacks, including the 1993 bombing and the 2001 destruction of the World Trade Center. Project stories include the redevelopment of the World Trade Center; the 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa; Los Angeles’ Disney Concert Hall; and Seattle's Bullitt Center and Rainier Square Tower. In 1985, Post wrote McGraw-Hill's book Restoring the Statue of Liberty (1986) for the restoration’s architects—Richard S. Hayden and Thierry W. Despont.

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