Innovation Credit: Timber Traceability & Forest Legality. Briefing Note

Transcription

1 Innovation Credit: Timber Traceability & Forest Legality Briefing Note This pilot Innovation Credit is designed to reduce the risk that wood products used in LEED projects derive from illegal sources. In the last decade or so, major wood products importing countries have adopted legislation intended to combat illegal logging by making it a crime to source and trade wood that was not legally produced in the country of origin. Prominent examples include the U.S. Lacey Act and the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR). In order to avoid penalties under such legislation, companies must exercise due care or due diligence to assess and mitigate the risk of buying illegal wood. This pilot credit is designed to align with and support widely accepted approaches to the exercise of due care. One of its central features is that it rewards transparency and traceability in the wood trade. Experts in forest legality believe that systems and technologies that allow wood to be traced from end product back to its forest origin are key to curbing illegal logging. This is because timber that is harvested illegally is nearly always mixed with legal wood within the value chain (the various stages of manufacturing and distribution) in a way that renders the two indistinguishable and makes it difficult to catch the culprits. If we are able to reliably establish where any given wood product originated and we determine that it came from an area where illegal logging has occurred, we can hold the companies in the supply chain accountable. Although traceability systems are at various stages of development in some producer countries, in many others they are not yet in place. Likewise, though technologies that can determine the origin of wood products exist, further progress must be made before they will serve the task at hand. Efforts to advance both traceability systems and technologies will benefit greatly from the strong, positive market signal that LEED can generate. 1 of 7

2 Innovation Credit: Timber Traceability & Forest Legality Applicable to BD+C and ID+C LEED v4 and 2009 projects 1 point Intent To reduce the risk that illegally sourced, harvested or traded wood products are used in building projects while rewarding transparency and traceability in the forest sector. Requirements Project teams shall identify the country of harvest and wood species (scientific name) for all wood products that are not reclaimed, salvaged or reused. To be eligible for this credit, wood products must constitute at least 5%, by cost, of the total value of permanently installed building products in the project or be valued at a minimum of $100,000. At least 50%, by cost, of the permanently installed wood products must meet one of the following traceability/transparency requirements. o Low threshold: Samples of the product shall be tested using wood identification technology (see Annex 1) and the results shall not contradict the declared species and origin. Samples shall be accompanied by a map, or maps, of the supply area(s) of origin. Products that meet the low threshold are worth 100% of their base contributing cost. o Medium threshold: Samples of the product shall be tested and the results shall not contradict the declared species and origin. Samples shall be accompanied by a map of the Forest Management Unit of origin. Products that meet the medium threshold are worth 150% of their base contributing cost. o High threshold: In addition to meeting the requirements of one of the preceding thresholds, the product shall be tested and the test results shall corroborate both the declared species as well as the origin of the product. Products that meet the high threshold are worth 200% of their base contributing cost. Samples of wood products or components that originate in countries with elevated risk of illegal logging and/or trade (see Annex 2) shall be tested and the results shall not contradict the declared species and origin. In addition, each product and/or component must be backed by one of the following requirements: o Certified by either the Forest Stewardship Council or a certification system endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). o Certified by a third-party legality verification program (see Annex 3). o Documentary proof that the products are backed by a FLEGT license accepted under the European Union Timber Regulation. 2 of 7

3 A CITES permit shall be provided for all wood products containing or composed of species listed under CITES (Convention on Trade in Endangered Species, see Annex 4) NOTE: While the systems listed above signal USGBC s intention to avoid the use of illegally sourced wood in LEED projects, they do not guarantee legality. In order to avoid using illegally sourced wood, which is a crime in many countries, all actors in the value chain should take additional measures to mitigate risk. In addition, the inclusion of all major forest certification systems as a means to address legality does not indicate that they are equivalent in terms of environmental and social responsibility. 3 of 7

4 Annex 1: Wood Identification Technologies A wide range of laboratory technologies are being adapted for identification of species and geographic origin for timber products. Wood anatomy, stable isotopes, DNA and mass spectrometry can be useful tools to provide buyers with independent verification of claims from suppliers. Wood Anatomy Wood anatomy analysis uses characteristic differences in wood grain, pores and color to verify timber to genus or sub-genus level. Microscopic analysis of wood grain is quick to conduct, requires limited expertise and is very useful for providing at least an indication of the species group involved. However, wood anatomy can rarely provide confirmation of an exact species, and is not an indication of geographic region of origin. Stable Isotope Analysis compares the ratios of common elements within wood samples to verify the harvest origin. Many common elements, such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen occur naturally in different forms, known as isotopes. These are absorbed and incorporated into the molecular structure of timber as trees grow from the soil, water and air. Isotopic analysis involves measuring natural variations in the ratio of these isotopes. DNA Analysis compares genetic sequences between wood samples to determine the species or origin of the wood. The DNA sequence of timber can be compared using genetic techniques. However, the success rate for extraction of usable DNA sequences from wood products is currently low. DART-TOF Mass Spectrometry is one of the newest techniques being used in wood identification and is a specific version of Mass Spectrometry (MS), an analytical technique that measures the masses of all of the unique chemicals within a wood sample. The specific compounds and relative amounts of each compound found within wood can have environmental as well as genetic links, thereby establishing a chemical fingerprint that has the possibility to be unique both for species identification as well as region of origin. Though promising for its ease of use and low cost, the application of DART-TOF Mass Spectrometry in wood forensics is currently at an early stage of development. 4 of 7

5 Annex 2: Country of Forest Origin Risk Categorization Refer to the Global Forest Registry to assess risk. Any country not designated on the Global Forest Registry as having low risk for legality or that has not been assessed should be considered as having an elevated risk. To determine a country s risk, go to: Click Launch Registry and then click on the map of the country. Once in the country s profile, click on legality. Low risk for illegality will be indicated by a green dot. If there is a red dot, then the country is considered to have an elevated risk of illegal logging and/or trade. 5 of 7

6 Annex 3: Legality Verification Programs SGS: Timber Legality & Traceability Verification - Rainforest Alliance: Verification of Legal Compliance (VLC) - Bureau Veritas: Origine et Légalité du Bois (OLB) - Scientific Certification Systems: Legal Harvest Verification - Certisource: Legality Verification System - NEPcon: LegalSource - Other USGBC-approved legality verification program 6 of 7

7 CITES-Listed Tree Species Annex 4: CITES-listed Timber Species The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintains a table of Current CITES Listings of Tree Species, but for the most up-to-date listing information, search the CITES Species Database, Species+, developed by UNEP-WCMC and the CITES Secretariat. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service table: CITES Species Database: 7 of 7