John Boddy as an organisation supports the development of credible timber certification schemes, which are based on publicly available forestry standards drawn up in a fully participatory, transparent and objective manner and backed by independent auditing. Where possible, this organisation will prefer timber and wood products sourced from forest areas certified under these schemes.Where independently certified timber is not available, this organisation will prefer timber and wood products from suppliers that have adopted a formal Environmental Purchasing Policy (e.g. the Timber Trade Federation’s Responsible Purchasing Policy, the WWF’s Global Forest & Trade Network) for those products and that can provide evidence of commitment to that Policy.

There is a responsibility on everyone in the timber supply chain, from the forest owner to the home owner, to ensure that the timber products they use are from well managed forests. This responsibility should be discussed at the start of any construction project and communicated all along the supply chain. This encourages architects to work closely with timber companies, who in turn work closely with suppliers.

Forests Forever advises the use of a specification clause to be used in contract, that places a condition on the supplier to provide reassurances that the timber and timber products they supply are from well managed supplies. Timber suppliers should have a formal environmental policy, and be able to provide evidence that they are implementing the terms of their policy. They should also be able to confirm that all timber has been derived from legal sources and, where possible, that it has been managed according to the laws and regulations governing forest management in the producer country. If the timber company is making claims that timber derives from a 'legal', 'sustainable' or 'certified' source they should be able to demonstrate who has carried out the certification and to explain which forestry standards have been used. If you need advice on the status of the standards and certifying organisations Forests Forever will be able to help.