Submitted: The Two Sides Team April 7, 2016

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the governing body for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard has announced it is encouraging more responsibly sourced building materials and thus will begin recognizing wood from land certified through American Tree Farm System (ATFS), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).

"At SFI we believe the future of our forests and our shared quality of life depend on strengthening the vital links between healthy forests, responsible purchasing and sustainable communities. The USGBC move to recognize SFI for LEED credit underscores those links and validates and sustains the many communities and the millions of people who work every day to ensure responsibly managed forests provide the many benefits we cannot live without," comments Jason Metnick, senior vice president, customer affairs, SFI.

“This is a milestone for family woodland owners, Tree Farmers and forest conservation in America,” said Tom Martin, president and CEO of the American Forest Foundation. “Family landowners are a critical group of individuals who steward our forests, providing local sustainable wood fiber while also conserving clean water and air, wildlife habitat and ensuring the overall health of our forests.”

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