Collins Rolls Out Certified Plywood
For the first time, certified softwood plywood and sheathing are available through Collins Pine Company of Portland, Oregon, and certified hardwood plywood is available through a joint venture with States Industries of Eugene, Oregon. This is a breakthrough: over half the plywood used in the U.S. is a direct contributor to rainforest destruction.
A recipient of the 1996 President's Award for Sustainable Development, Collins Pine was the first company to undergo third-party assessment for certification of forestry practices. In California, their 95,000 acre tract has a higher inventory of trees growing than when they began logging in 1943.
Collins will sell the plywood under its trademark, CollinsWood, which is certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) of Oakland, California. The plywood gives lumber retailers a full product line of certified framing materials, from dimension lumber through subflooring and exterior sheathing. Builders can finally order an entire certified framing package from a single source.
In the past, builders who wanted certified lumber had to order dimension lumber from a certified source and then order with another supplier for the sheathing and subflooring. "Builders want their orders when they need them. They don't want any added hassles. You have to be able to sell more than certified lumber," says Kent Goodyear, sales manager for Collins.
Higher costs, better service
Goodyear estimates the retail price will run about 15% above uncertified plywood. Prices are higher partly because of the paperwork needed to track the lumber from the forest through the mill and to the final product. The big expense comes in hauling logs from Collins' certified land in Chester, CA. to its mill in Klamath Falls, OR, a distance of at least 400 miles.
Collins aims to lower shipping costs by adding another 80,000 acres of certified forest to its holdings. This forest is much closer to the Oregon mill. SCS has certified 93,000 acres of Collins' property in California and 128,000 acres in Pennsylvania, which is the source for the hardwood plywood (used for cabinetry and furniture).
Matt Freeman-Gleason, owner of the Environmental Home Center in Seattle, bought one of the first truckloads. "It sold surprisingly well for a trial run," he remarked. "The price is a little high but, overall, Collins has been pretty price competitive." The convenience of providing the entire framing package outweighs his concerns about price. "We have to compete like everyone else, but the key is convenience. There is always a reason for people to say 'no' to something different. Now we're giving them another reason to say 'yes.'"
Hopeful for expanding market
Furniture makers and small shops have been among the steadiest customers for certified lumber, but promoters of certified plywood hope this market can be expanded to attract more homeowners, architects, builders and remodelers - markets which responded with interest to Collins' trial run.
In trying to convince his customers to pay a premium for certified lumber and plywood, Freeman-Gleason stresses its overall quality and the long-term benefits of using certified wood. The products are generally of better quality than the competition, he explains, because the quality of Collins trees are higher. "The manufacturing process for the plywood is also very good," he adds.
Placing the wood in context is an important sales tool. Freeman-Gleason takes the time to explain the difference between poor logging techniques and the effects of responsible wood harvesting on the land. "Out here in the Northwest, you don't have to go far to see the results of irresponsible logging. We're also starting to deal with related issues, such as the salmon population. Everyone has a budget, but I try to explain the cost of the material in terms of the benefits and significance of the products. If you do a good job of that, you have a good chance of making a sale."
FSC Relaxes Certified Standard
Manufacturers of particleboard will find it easier to meet certification standards as a result of a compromise reached between industry (who want to relax standards) and environmentalists (who don't). The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) voted to reduce the percentage of chips coming from certified forests that must be present for particleboard to attain certification. The result of contentious debate, the decision reduces required certified chip content from 90 - 70% of a product's total volume.
Manufacturers argue that, even with the 70% threshold, forest owners and particle board manufacturers won't bother to get certified because they can't meet the standard. There simply aren't enough certified forests or chips available. "It's going to take time to develop certified chip sources," says Wade Mosby, vice president of marketing, Collins Pine. Collins uses only 10% certified chips in its industrial particleboard, but Mosby hope they can increase it to 15-20% once an additional 80,000 acres become certified.
Mosby would begin with a lower chip content and raise the standard each year, as more land becomes certified and more certified chips become available. "I would use this as an incentive to convince landowners to get their land certified so they can get in on the certified market," he says.
From Understory