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our glossary of terms

Chain of Custody (COC)
Woodshanti is certified by SmartWood to label its products as made from wood harvested from well-managed forests. Forests are independently certified by a SmartWood to comply with the FSC standards for well-managed forestry. For a product to carry the COC label, all stages of production, distribution, and sale of the product must be independently evaluated to meet the established tracking criteria. This includes the forests, sawmills, lumber yards, manufacturers, and retailers. This process enables the public to identify products and practices that promote well-managed forest development. It is also possible through this process to determine exactly where each piece of wood is coming from.

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SCS-COC-000453 is Woodshanti’s certification # and can be verified online

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)
The FSC was founded in 1993 to establish international forest management standards and to accredit and monitor independent certification agencies. FSC principles include:
~ Conserving biological diversity and functioning ecosystems
~ Maintaining high conservation-value forests
~ Advancing the economic and social well-being of workers, local communities, and indigenous groups
~ Establishing sound and long-term management practices

Joinery
The part of woodworking that involves the joining together of parts of wood in furniture and cabinet construction. Types of joinery include; groove, rabbet, dovetail, dado, and box joints.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
A voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Established by the USGBC - US Green Building Council.
LEED standards were created to:

• define “"greenbuilding"” by establishing common standards of measurement
• promote integrated, whole-building design practices
• recognize environmental leadership within the building industry
• stimulate green competition
• raise consumer awareness of green building benefits.

Woodshanti products can count for the following LEED credits:

Materials & Resources
Credit 3.1 Resource Reuse, Specify 5% 1
Credit 3.2 Resource Reuse, Specify 10% 1
Credit 4.1 Recycled Content, Specify 25% 1
Credit 4.2 Recycled Content, Specify 50% 1
Credit 5.1 Local/Regional Materials, 20% Manufactured Locally 1
Credit 5.2 Local/Regional Materials, of 20% Above, 50% Harvested Locally 1
Credit 6 Rapidly Renewable Materials 1
Credit 7 Certified Wood 1

Indoor Environmental Quality
Credit 4.1 Low-Emitting Materials, Adhesives & Sealants 1
Credit 4.2 Low-Emitting Materials, Paints 1
Credit 4.4 Low-Emitting Materials, Composite Wood 1

Reclaimed Wood
Logs and trees that have been recovered from forests, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.

Recycled Wood
Previously used wood that is gathered from deconstructing old houses, barns, floors, furniture, etc...

Salvaged Wood
This is wood that has been cut for another reason other than production. Salvaged trees include dead, diseased or unproductive trees that are cut for replacement.

Sustainable
An ecosystem condition in which biodiversity, renewability, and resource productivity are maintained over time.

USGBC – United States Green Building Council
The council is the nation’s foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. They have created to LEED standards to promote this cause.

Well-Managed Forest
Refers to a forest that has been cared for with particular concern for conserving biological diversity and functioning ecosystems, maintaining high conservation-value forests, advancing the economic and social well-being of workers, local communities, and indigenous groups, and establishing sound and long-term management practices.

Worker Cooperative
Collective work places are owned and operated by “worker-owners”. There are no outside owners and only workers own shares of the business. Workers have direct control over the management and ownership of the business-they negotiate with themselves.