Untitled Document

2007 Vermont WoodNet Survey Results

FSC Questions

	Yes	No	A Few
Do you know what being FSC certified is?	69	13	6
Are you currently an FSC certified business?	30	56	0
Have you had many customers request FSC?	14	59	13
Do you have reliable sources for your FSC wood needs?	19	56	7
Other than FSC certified, do you buy either FSI or other Sustainable wood?	15	59	8
Would you like to know more about FSC certification?	32	49	0
Do you need additional training/materials to better educate you and your customers about FSC materials and help selling them on why it makes sense?	33	50	0

What percentage of your work is FSC?

0
20%
10
I'm newly certified
0
0
not sure
100
0
0
0-10%
0
10
About 50%
0
noneFin
0
85
50
1% at this time.
?
20%
0
100%
0
5%
5%
5%
<1%
0 this past year
99%
0
10%
0
0
0
0
1%
< 1%
I have no clue!!!
tiny
0
2
85%
?
5%
0
0%
3%
0
1%
none
0
0
much of our material is, almost none of our products are labeled
N/A
0 but I USE RECYCLED WOODS
0
70
2-3%
0
unknown
0

Is your business certified as part of Vermont WoodNet's group certificate or are you certified on your own?

Group Certificate		70.3%
My Own Certificate		8.1%
Other		21.6%

Unless listed elsewhere, what are your reliable sources for FSC wood?

None at the volume we need.
Koeing Cedar
Rex lumber, Northland Wood products
Panel Source International Columbia
Ourselves. We are certified for logs under the VFF group certificate and certified for lumber under the WoodNet group certificate.
NA - we manage the growth and harvest of trees/lumber.
VT Family Forest
There are no reliable sources for small users. Period.
No need at present, but am sure I could find if needed. ?? about question 90
certified land managers, Kane
none
Finch Pruyn
Certified forests managed by Fountain Forestry, and Upland Forestry
FPA, although I'm not sure which woods.
our certified forest pool
Kane Hardwoods (PA)

If you purchase SFI or other non-FSC, but sustainable wood, from where do you purchase?

Much of the wood I purchase is recycled/used
Virtually all wood harvested in Vermont in sustainable, thus any we buy from the region meets a "reasonable man" test. It is financially, and environmentally inefficient to force the use of FSC material, given current supply problems. It is better to tell a real story rather than buy into a special-interest promoted seal.
Forest Products Assoc.
loggers, foresters, A Johnson, Lathrop
Tommy Lathrop
mom and pop forest owners

What would you say has been your greatest challenge with FSC production?

Getting raw materials--solid wood/plywood
Pricing.
Finding materials
No reliable supply.
Customers The record keeping is a pain in the neck
too little and too expensive
Too much paperwork. A lot of extra work to keep track of how much of what went where. For furniture making it seems like you've either got to do all FSC or no FSC otherwise it's a lot to keep track of. I think it will take a while to get comfortable with FSC and figure out a system that works. It sounds like more rules next year will complicate things more. There should be some incentive to try using certain percentage of FSC so more people would give it a try. As it is now it's all or nothing and most people are choosing nothing. If more shops were requesting FSC lumber from suppliers there would be incentive for them to sell FSC and for wood lots to be FSC certified.
Paperwork
Red tape Getting listed in FSC's resource guides The cost of certification (direct and indirect)
marketing support from WNT, and FSC is weak
Changing guidelines, lack of consumer demand/marketign punch/good coordinated projects to get the wood and the word out there.
Storage
Cost of certification Number of rules and regulations Constantly changing regulations Valuable time required of small businesses in adhering to regulations
Finding an interested party to invest in FSC products
Finding reliable sources
Obtaining material.
I use almost all reclaimed or found or customers wood. Not sure how this fits with above??
specificity of FSC regs including logo use
Finding lumber
logistics coordination
paperwork is time consuming
Finding the wood I want close to me that is FSC certified.
certification costs and requirements
getting my customers educated
securing a reliable and affordable source
N/A
yearly audit. Now easier as group member.

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