Replies

1. 
   Dave45 | Dec 03, 2009 02:56am | #1

   What does FSC stand for?

2. 
   SteveSchoene | Dec 03, 2009 07:09am | #2

   Forest Stewardship Council is a very controversial organization. 

   In my first blush opinion, certifying the high conservation values for domestic hardwoods is a good way to gain some marketing points, and to provide income to some not-for- profit organization employees.  Since in the developed economics land owners do control the harvesting of wood on their land, and can be expected to make, by and large, rational decisions about when to harvest, undrstanding quite well the concepts of interest and investment.  Consequently it seems to be a pretty non-productive process to have certification of processes where markets will function.  The US has more forest lands than at the turn of the last century.  Some of the current acreage may me of a more mono-culture nature than some would like, or find desirable for fauna diversity. 

   In the less developed world, harvest isn't so neatly controlled, and it may make sense for NGO's to try to keep track of the legality and harvest practices of woods that come to market.  I have no idea whatsoever as to whether FSC is an effective organization in that regard. 

3. 
   Anon | Dec 03, 2009 07:41am | #3

   Regardless of the merits of the certification (and I have no idea), Compton strongly suggests that they have it. I'm not sure why you conclude that they are not certified, in fact, and since I buy lumber in the area too, I'd be happy to hear why you think they aren't. If they are not FSC certified, I'll certainly avoid them merely because their prominent use of the FSC logo on the website and discussion of "FSC projects" on interior pages so strongly suggests certification that it is suggestive of bad business practices if they are misleading the public to believe they have a certification which they actually don't. I buy domestic hardwood without batting an eye from a small local mill which lacks that certification but I won't patronize a business that misleads me about whether it has it.

1. 
   Taigert | Dec 03, 2009 07:52am | #4

   Compton and Crosscut are both FSC yards. It would be hard to find two better places to buy from. I have always found the two of them to be straight shooters.

   Taigert 

1. 
   Anon | Dec 03, 2009 06:10pm | #5

   Thanks, I'm glad to hear that. I'm new to the area and don't know the reputations of yards here. I'll look into both of them the next time I start a project. Of course I have some I have to finish first.

2. 
   boilerbay | Dec 03, 2009 07:03pm | #6

   I'd agree about Crosscut being a straight shooter.
   Having said that, there are many times I will leave there without wood, the selection being so poor or utterly undistinguished. On occasion I've gone through 30 planks to find one good one. That's just in the 5/4. The quality of the domestic hardwoods drops massively when it comes to the thick skip plane stuff. I'm not sold on anything collectively flying under the FSC banner.BB

1. 
   Taigert | Dec 03, 2009 07:15pm | #7

   BB,

   Is that at the Portland store?

   Taigert

1. 
   boilerbay | Dec 05, 2009 05:40pm | #11

   Yes it is.BB

2. 
   essdog | Dec 03, 2009 10:31pm | #8

   I think being FSC certified doesn't mean all the wood is FSC.  They told me their walnut and white oak (the woods I'm interested in) aren't FSC but others are.  I don't think they are being misleading.  Its just that things take investigating some times..... which is what we are all doing by communicating via knots.  I'm just interested in learning more about FSC wood and whether or not I should feel good about purchasing it or if I should be ambivalent about it with regard to domestic wood.

   thanks to all posting. 

1. 
   doorboy | Dec 05, 2009 12:35am | #9

   For a piece of lumber to be FSC certified, it must carry with it a "chain of custody" letter stating that EVERY business that owned the lumber (from landowner to logging to retail) is also certified.
   Of course, this means that a lumberyard that is certified may very well sell lumber that is NOT certified. There is no deception going on here. You just don't get any LEED points.Oh by the way, if you want to SELL a project that is FSC certified, then you will have to pay the fee to become certified to the 'non-profit' FSC folks. Otherwise you break the 'chain of custody' and the project is NOT certified.

   Edited 12/4/2009 4:40 pm by doorboy

1. 
   | Dec 05, 2009 05:13pm | #10

   One of my suppliers offers FSC certified lumber and ply wood products. I find the the FSC stuff is significantly higher priced. I usually opt for the cheaper Non FSC lumber. My clients don't seem to care one way or another. I can still, in good conscious, tell my customers that the lumber I use is responsibly harvested because there is nothing to lead me to believe otherwise. None of my suppliers have ever been sited for breaking any laws and the majority of my lumber use is of domestic species.

   Bob, Tupper Lake, NY

4. 
   DHAM | Dec 11, 2009 05:05am | #12

   "Does this mean the non-FSC walnut may be unsustainably harvested?"

   Absolutely not. FSC certification is voluntary. There are also other certifications like SFI. Just because wood is not FSC certified does not mean that the wood was illegally harvested or harvested in an unsustainable manner. If that walnut tree came from land that was being converted into the sub-division that you live in, does that make the wood reprehensible to buy?