FSC Certified Wood Veneer For Architectural Projects

Flexible wood veneer certified by the Forest4. Some architects or designers prefer to specify
Stewardship Council (FSC) is designed to assure thepremium grades of wood veneer. These grades of
end user that the wood veneer has been harvesteddesired wood veneer sheets in specified sizes may
from well-managed forests. Everyone has heardnot be available FSC certified. In order to work with
about the plight of the vanishing rainforest. TheFSC-certified wood veneer, designers and architects
Forest Stewardship Council is an organization thatmight have to specify a lower grade of wood
certifies that particular forests have been wellveneer.
managed, and also certifies that certain companies5. It is therefore advisable for architects and
carry wood products from these certified, ecologicallydesigners to make first and second choices in veneer
sustainable forests.specification, as the first choice of FSC-certified
FSC-certified wood veneer comes from managedflexible sheet veneer may not be attainable in the
forests that are traceable from the time the logs aretime frame needed, or it may not be an economical
cut to the time the final project is installed. Thechoice.
wood veneer is verified by way of a C.O.C. or chain6. It would be wise for architects and designers to
of custody claim on all invoices. For finished woodconsult with flexible wood veneer suppliers before
veneer to be truly FSC certified, it must bespecifying FSC wood veneer selection for a given
accompanied by a series of C.O.C. documentsproject to prevent delays and other potential
through the entire process.problems.
When an architect decides to specify FSC woodAbout 2% of all rain forest woods are harvested for
veneer, there are several factors to take intothe sheet veneer and lumber industries. However,
account:wise stewardship of all forests is an important step in
adding value to, and maintaining the natural integrity
1. Designers and architects must become aware ofof the world's tropical forests.
which wood species are available with FSCMany architects and end users feel best about
certification before specifying this wood.building with products, such as flexible wood veneer
2. Most wood species around the world have notsheets, that are certified to be kind and responsible
been FSC certified. These species might be qualified,to the environment, and are ecologically sustainable.
should the FSC have the resources to evaluate them,The Forest Stewardship Council certifies that certain
but they are not officially certified by the FSC.flexible wood veneers were, in fact, harvested from
3. Once a species is specified for a particular project,well maintained forests. Architects and designers
the designer or project manager must allow extrashould be aware of the fact that very few wood
time for the veneer supplier to obtain thespecies are available FSC certified, and should
FSC-certified wood veneer, as FSC-certified veneertherefore make their sheet wood veneer
sheets are rare; there are fewer on the market thanspecifications with this fact in mind.
non-FSC certified.