(This guest article provided by Tom Inman, president of the Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Inc.)
Forest and lumber certification is a complex issue but Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc. (AHMI) has simplified a system that focuses on the sustainability of the trees and audits ownership of the materials.
Certified Appalachian Legal & Sustainable was introduced in 2018 as the second phase of a marketing strategy for Hardwood lumber producers and distributors in the 12-state Appalachian region. It follows the successful Appalachian Hardwood Verified Sustainable and Appalachian Hardwood Verified Legal pro-grams that began in 2007 and 2012, respectively.
All are based on the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) which details the growth, mortality and harvest of trees across the United States. In 2007, AHMI asked USFS researchers to develop a matrix for the 344 counties in the Appalachian region. The results were published in the U.S Department of Agriculture’s SRS-142 “Status of Hardwood Forest Resources in the Appalachian Region.”
The research found the growth to removal ratio for the Appalachian region was 2.4 to 1 which far exceeds sustainability. This analysis “verified” the sustainability of the Hardwood resource in the AHMI boundary. It was updated in 2012 to show the ratio had improved to 2.5 to 1.
The Verified Sustainable program was available to all sawmills and distribution yards that sourced material from the region. The response from lumber buyers and consumers was positive because many wanted the assurance that their purchases were from forests that were growing more than harvested or dying combined.
The majority of AHMI members enrolled and received paperwork and other materials they could share with customers. The success of this program and growing concerns internationally about illegal timber led to demands for documents to “verify” the legality of the Appalachian Hardwood resource.
In 2012, the AHMI Board of Trustees approved the Verified Legal program which required participants to select the counties of harvest in the region and receive signed documents from landowners and loggers stating ownership of the resource that was sold.
These two programs were the solution for many secondary manufacturers who needed documents to provide to customers. Both programs are still active today meeting the needs of the industry.
There were concerns, however, from a minority of buyers that the “Verified” programs were approved by the association for members. In response, AHMI’s Board developed additional standards for members to meet that were reviewed and signed by company leaders. These documents and procurement forms from suppliers were submitted to a third-party for audit to the standards.
Certified Appalachian was born in 2018 and has dozens of AHMI members enrolled. They now show customers that they meet the standards for sustainability and legality as defined by AHMI and an independent review proves it.
These participants have certificates from the audit company to provide to customers for each load of Hardwood lumber that is sold. They report wide acceptance of the program from buyers and consumers who again want a third-party audited program proving the sustainability of the Hardwood resource and its legal harvest.
The program focuses on the forest and the trees and not issues that have little to do with sustainability. Manufacturers of furniture, cabinets, flooring and more are seeking just that – an assurance that the materials included in their finished goods are growing back and were purchased from legal sources.
Certified Appalachian guarantees the company is:
- A legal entity in the United States and adheres to the rule of law;
- Sources from the 344-county AHMI;
- Has “Procurement Verification” forms from all suppliers proving legal transfer of ownership of resource;
- A member of good standing in AHMI.
Testimonials from AHMI members explaining the program and their involvement are available on YouTube by searching for Appalachian Hardwood. They are also linked from www.appalachianhardwood.org.
For more information about these programs and other offerings from AHMI, please email to info@appalachianhardwood.org.
