Greetings all,
I am consulting on a new build for a MA-based college campus that has intentionally designed for wood structure as a substantial portion of the work to reduce embodied carbon impact, spec’ing FSC sourcing. We’ve been learning from the CM and vendors that it is exceptionally difficult to find FSC-certified materials right now amidst the supply chain and market disruptions in the lumber industry. Specifically, National Lumber has dropped all FSC certifications, it is seemingly impossible to find FSC-certified LVLs, and framing lumber and plywood, if you can find it, is 25% more expensive and comes from locations far from the project site in the northeastern US.
To be clear, the value in FSC here is to do our level best in confirming the quality of forest management practices. There is a potential this project may end up running through ILFI’s Zero Carbon program, and while we do not need FSC certified wood to claim storage to comply (I’m not super comfortable claiming storage values for wood even if FSC certified, to be honest), it is also an important part of telling the story for the college, as well as the obvious chain of custody and management transparency that the certification offers.
Has anyone had luck sourcing FSC-certified dimensional framing lumber, structural plywood, or LVLs within the last few months, or leads on procurement? Thanks in advance for any support.
My best to you all,
Jacob Racusin
New Frameworks