Would Builders Shun Wood?

GBCA'S Draft Assessment Framework for Forest Management Certification Schemes, Green Star Mat-8 "Timber" Credit Program

Would Builders Shun Wood?
By Megan Haggan

The cost and complexity added to compliance with the Green Building Council Australia's Green Star Mat-8 "timber" credit program could drive developers away from using wood products, say industry stakeholders.

The GBCA's draft assessment framework for forest management certification schemes, aimed at providing certification for certification schemes, contains criteria which duplicate existing internationally recognised forest management and chain of custody schemes, they say - yet add no environmental benefit.

The review of Green Star criteria by a Timber Expert Reference Panel (TERP) began a year ago, following industry concerns that the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)'s schemes were favoured over those of Australian Forestry Standards Limited (AFSL), which are recognised Australian Standards.

Simon Dorries, general manager of the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia, said the proposed framework "adds cost and no real benefit".

"I could see the amount of bureaucracy behind this becoming unmanageable, so the option is to use an alternative material to timber."

Kayt Watts, CEO of AFSL, said this would undermine the purpose of the draft framework.

"Timber is 100% renewable, and the most environmental friendly material," she said. "Restricting its use is fundamentally an anti-environmental statement.

"The wood products sector is the only building material sector that has voluntarily taken on and is subject to third-party environmental certification.

"The Schemes have gone through rigorous assessment by internationally independent authorities to reach their current status of credible and acceptable forest management schemes.

"Continuous setting of new benchmarks and criteria by others undermines that process."

Michael O'Connor, CEO of the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU), agreed that wood could become a less attractive material in the construction of green buildings, were the draft framework implemented.

"The way the GBCA have set up this process discriminates against the use of sustainable timber, and encourages the use of other products," he said.

"It will encourage carbon production and pollution because it will encourage the use of aluminium and steel over timber, which is counter-productive."

He suggested that the GBCA was politically motivated and that jobs as well as the environment could be adversely affected.

"If they do come out and finalise this proposal as it is, which is not based on good science, and it threatens even one of our jobs, we will be tackling them head-on using everything at our disposal," Mr O'Connor said.

Despite its complexity, the draft framework would do little to benefit the environment, the EWPAA's Mr Dorries agreed.

"There's no doubt that any of the mainland pinus radiata forests are as well managed under AFS as they would be under FSC certification - there's no difference between the certification schemes in that regard.

"However there's a whole myriad of trade practices ramifications which GBCA need to be very wary of: third-line enforcing and straight-out competition law.

"Essentially this is enforcing a monopoly and there will be a huge impact on the plywood manufacturing industry in particular. Forest management is identical under FSC, so there's no environmental benefit derived."

The Victorian Government specifically addresses the issue of competition in its recent Timber Industry Strategy public consultation draft.

The draft states "that forest certification is the primary and sole requirement for demonstrating unequivocally that a forest is managed responsibly and sustainably," said a spokesman for the Victorian Department of Primary Industries.

"Any behaviour that specifies the use of timber certified by one certification scheme over another, or applies additional criteria over and above third-party forest certification to assess environmental sustainability, is anti-competitive.

"The Timber Industry Strategy public consultation draft proposes that no Victorian Government department or agency will endorse any approach, including in procurement and sustainability guides and tools, that does not recognise that third-party certification unambiguously demonstrates sustainable forest management.

"We also will not provide funding or endorsement to non-government organisations who administer sustainability or procurement guides that discriminate against Victorian timber that meets third-party certification."

The draft proposal follows the "opening up" in the United States of existing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) sole recognition of FSC certification to other standards that US Green Building Council recognises as conforming to its forest certification benchmarks, such as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certification.

Ms Watts said there were strong similarities between the US document and the Australian draft.

The Timber Experts Reference Panel (TERP) process was also questioned by Allan Hansard, CEO of the National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI), who also said the proposed GBCA scheme was "questionable" given that sustainable forest management and chain of custody Australian Standards already existed, along with the PEFC and FSC international forest management schemes.

"The best outcome would be achieved by the GBCA recognising the current certification schemes, bringing compliance requirements for timber in line with other products."

Ms Watts said that recognition of existing leadership in sustainable forestry certification would promote uptake of certification, strengthen the supply chain and improve forest management globally.

"I am committed to working positively with GBCA in ensuring the outcome of the review and the implementation of a revised Timber Criteria is a positive one for the timber industry, built environment and the environment."

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NOTES

Australian Forestry Standard Limited is a Standards Development Organisation and a not-for-profit public company registered in July 2003. The company owns the standard development functions and manages the elements of the Australian Forest Certification Scheme. The Australian Forest Certification Scheme (AFCS) will:
* provide Australian and overseas consumers with an independent, internationally recognised third-party certification scheme for forest management in Australia
* promote a culture of 'continuous improvement' of the sustainable forest management practices in Australia
* support a market for forest products that are a result of sustainable forest management practices and value adding processes that maintain the integrity of the source forest certification and promote the broader environmental benefits of using wood-based products.

PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes)
PEFC is a framework for the mutual recognition of credible national or regional forest certification schemes that have been developed based on internationally recognised requirements for sustainable forest management. Since its launch in 1999, PEFC has become the largest forest certification umbrella organisation covering national schemes from all over the world, delivering hundreds of millions of tonnes of wood to the processing industry and then on to the market place from over 200 million hectares of certified forests. PEFC has strong grass roots support from many stakeholders including the forestry sector, governments, trade associations, trade unions and non-governmental organisations.

Forest Certification
Forest certification is a process, which provides an assurance mechanism to purchasers of wood and paper products that the wood used in the products comes from sustainably managed forests. Sustainably managed forests are those whose management implements performance standards based on internationally agreed environmental, social and economic requirements.

MEDIA CONTACTS
AFSL--CEO
Kayt Watts:
[email protected] or 02 6232 5356
http://www.forestrystandard.org.au

NAFI - CEO
Allan Hansard:
[email protected] or 02 62853833

EWPAA - General Manager
Simon Dorries:
[email protected] or 07 38541228

CFMEU - National Secretary.
Michael O'Connor:
[email protected] or 03 9274 9200

Freelance Journalist -
Meggan Haggan:
[email protected] or 0411 045 592

SOURCE: AFSL