Wood products environmental certification: The United States perspective

Consumers are becoming interested in the environmental impacts caused by the production, packaging and disposal of the products they purchase and consume. As a result, environmental certification of forest products and forestry practices, part of the more encompassing green movement, is proliferating globally. In response to these environmental concerns, some environmental organizations, retailers and wood products companies have developed a set of standards for wood products that are intended to encourage consumers to purchase wood originating from certified sustainable forests. These efforts are a response to the perception by the general public that most forest practices involving the harvesting of wood do irreversible damage to the environment.