Forest industry strikes back

Agroup calling itself the Coalition for Fair Forest Certification has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) claiming that the Forest Stewardship Council and the U.S. Green Building Council have created an anti-competitive environment in the U.S. wood products industry, according to an article in the New York Times.

At the heart of the complaint is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system, commonly known as LEED, which is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council. The coalition asserts that LEED is anti-competitive because it only recognizes wood products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and not those of other certifying bodies.

According to the Times, the letter was submitted to the FTC on behalf of the coalition by the law firm Steptoe & Johnson. A spokesman for the law firm would not identify the members of the coalition, although he said they included a number of forest products companies and major timber companies that also belong to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative, another certifying body for wood products used in green building projects, is also the subject of a complaint filed in September with the FTC. An environmental group called ForestEthics is challenging SFI’s credibility and non-profit status.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Green Building Council is in the final stages of updating its standards for wood products sourcing and certification, a process that has drawn more than 2,800 comments from interested parties.