Under the current standard, a chain of custody is required under the FSC Certification. To what extent does this chain of custody run? Currently we have certified growers supplying lumber for wood trussed but there is a question if the truss fabricator must also be certified or does the fabricator simply indicate the FSC Certified source of the wood products used?
NOTE: revised June 9, 2004 (correction based on FSC percentage-based policy). NOTE: Guidance in the following CIR may be superseded by revised FSC Chain-of-Custody requirements issued by USGBC and FSC on 4/7/2008. New comprehensive guidelines can be found on the USGBC website here: https://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=4027 The Forest Stewardship Council requires that every party that takes ownership of the wood or wood product have chain-of-custody certification for the wood product to be called "FSC-certified." In an effort to develop the market for certified wood, LEED has, in the past, allowed a party to claim credit for the use of FSC-certified wood in a project even if the party involved in final fabrication of the product before it reaches the building is not chain-of-custody certified. However, this position should be reviewed going forward to avoid conflicts with the FSC trademark. In this particular instance our recommendation is to allow the credit. However no where should it be claimed that these are "FSC-certified trusses," and the manufacturer must warrant that they have indeed used certified wood to make the trusses. A couple of related points regarding LEED\'s de facto position to date: 1. If the wood is supplied to a manufacturer by a wholesaler or distributor who is not involved with fabrication or modification of the material, that supplier must have FSC chain-of-custody certification for the material to qualify as FSC-certified under LEED. 2. If the truss manufacturer were FSC-certified, FSC\'s partial content rules would allow that company to produce "FSC-certified trusses" with as little as 70% FSC-certified wood by volume (NOTE: the original CIR text has been edited from saying "30%" to "70%." 30% is the minimum weight content for chip/fiber material), the entire value of the truss would count towards the FSC-certified wood credit for LEED, regardless of whether it is made from 70% or 100% certified wood. Since the manufacturer in this case does not have chain-of-custody certification, only the actual amount of FSC-certified wood used in the trusses can be applied toward the credit. Applicable Internationally.