The Taproot Volume 1


	The oak forest and processing industry in France predates the Romans; and is still thriving. Oak forests are selectively logged; management is ecologically driven. The government of France has strict regulations governing harvest.

	Begin somewhere; you cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do. Liz Smith

NEW ARRIVALS!! Coco bolo (Mexican rosewood) and ebony.

Danny Schaftlein is our school rep. He has been with us "a sliver short of" two years. Knowledgeable, friendly and happy to assist either staff member or student; give him a call or email him at danny@westwindhardwood.com.

GROWING GREEN

Welcome to our inaugural newsletter. We hope to see this develop into a monthly occurrence, but for now please grace us the time to see ourselves through this new growth.

The argument for using wood is growing every day. There's only one building material that grows back: WOOD. West Wind Hardwood has always valued and respected wood, trees and our environment. We promote responsible use of wood and to this end; we are in the process of becoming legitimately certified under the Forest Stewardship Council program. This means we will be able to offer "chain of custody" for certified wood. Certified chain-of-custody (COC) is the principal method for assuring that forest products sold originates in sustainable forestry operations.

The FSC Canada Working Group, created in 1996, is a FSC National Initiative responsible for developing regional standards and recommending them for endorsement by FSC International. FSC Canada is designed to promote good forest management across Canada and increase the level of market participation in the FSC system through outreach, education and communications.

Our work and decisions will be governed by our Values. We value forest management that:

1. Is environmentally appropriate - ensuring that the harvest of timber and non-timber products, and other uses maintains the forest's biodiversity, productivity, and ecological processes. Forest processes and diversity and ensuring an equitable sharing of benefits from the sustainable use of forests.

2. Is socially beneficial - helping both local people and society at large to enjoy long term benefits and also providing strong incentives to local people to sustain the forest resources and adhere to long-term management plans.

3. Is economically viable - supporting forest operations and management that are sufficiently profitable yet not at the expense of the forest resource, the ecosystem, or affected communities, balancing the generation of adequate financial returns and principles of responsible forest management through efforts to market forest products and other forest uses for their best value.

We also value collaborative relationships and consultation in standards development and application that ensures:

1. Honesty, integrity, transparency and fairness in all decision-making

2. Respect and recognition for the legal and customary rights of indigenous peoples to own, use and manage their lands, territories, and resources

3. Economic accessibility of certification for landowners of all sizes.

But what has this to do with our wood; and what is COC wood?

Chain of custody certification provides a guarantee about the production of FSC-certified products. COC is the path taken by raw materials from the forest to the consumer, including all successive stages of processing, transformation, manufacturing and distribution. Certification is a voluntary process in which an independent (in our case, SmartWood) confirms that the product has been produced in accordance with specified environmental and social standards. The advantage of third party certification can be summed up with one word: "credibility". From a customer perspective, the FSC label represents a promise that is being made to them. COC standards are the mechanisms FSC has to ensure that 'promise' is delivered. To date, nearly 25 million acres of forest worldwide have been certified according to FSC standards, including 3.5 million acres in the United States.

Every building product used comes from a natural resource. Wood is an environmentally friendly material, a naturally renewable resource, and an ecologically sound choice. Choices. It comes back to choices. Give us a call and learn about your choices.