What kind of wood is FSC certified wood?

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a forest certification system that specializes in tropical hardwoods. They have certified over 18 million hectares of tropical and subtropical forests. They work with small landowners and indigenous communities worldwide, and their certification process helps these people find alternative sources of income through the sustainable management of their hardwood forests.

What does FSC stand for in wood?

FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council which covers 380 million acres of certified land. FSC is a non-profit organization with a mission to "promote environmentally sound, socially beneficial and economically prosperous management of the world's forests."

What does being FSC certified mean?

Being FSC certified means that the wood came from a responsibly managed forest. The FSC certification program has some of the more strict guidelines than other forest certifications that include principles that address legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, and an environmental impact assessment about land management.

FSC-certified wood ensures that the wood came from more sustainable timber industries and that it is graded and stamped for quality attributes.

In-Depth Product Guide

FSC Certified Hardwood

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Hardwood floors, made from woods such as birch, maple, oak, or chestnut, are long-lasting, beautiful, and comfortable. Hardwood flooring typically comes in interlocking tongue-and-groove pieces, and can come bare or pre-finished.

Look for FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified hardwood flooring, to ensure that the wood comes from sustainably managed forests. Consider the finish you will use, looking for low- or no-VOCs. As alternatives to varnish and urethane finishes, several traditional older finishes work with hardwood, including beeswax, linseed oil, and a Danish traditional finish that uses soap flakes.

Hardwood is a renewable resource if it is harvested sustainably, and can be salvaged and repurposed when it is removed from a building. It is produced at fine wood mills in a variety of locations, so it can often be readily sourced locally. Typically installed with nails, it has no off-gassing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Parquetry, from the Old French parchet, meaning small enclosed space, is patterned flooring consisting of inlaid wood in geometric shapes like squares, diamonds, and angles. One of the most well-watched pieces of parquet floor in history is the floor that the Boston Celtics play on, in the National Basketball Association of the USA. From its first installation in 1946 in Boston Arena, they brought their floor with them through two moves, to Boston Garden in 1952 and Fleet Center in 1995. Pieces were sold in 1999 as souvenirs after a demolition, and some pieces are still in the floor they play on now, at TD Garden.

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