Big Timber Twists the Definition of Responsible Logging to Get LEED Credit

This week Stand released a new report, A Trojan Horse for Big Timber, outlining how the logging industry is trying to sneak its phony eco-labeling scheme into the LEED green building program.

The LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) green building rating system is the most widely used in the world. For nearly two decades, LEED has played a crucial role in supporting responsible forestry and forest conservation by rewarding the use of wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) — the forest certification system with the highest social and environmental standards and that is supported by many environmental groups.

And for nearly as long the timber industry has been hammering on the USGBC (or US Green Building Council, which administers the LEED system) to allow its misleading and destructive certification system, the so-called Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), into LEED.

Unfortunately, it looks like USGBC might be caving in to the pressure.