Timber as a building material has recognised environmental qualities such as low embodied energy and provides a store for carbon. However because timber is sourced from forests that provide other benefits to society, forest management and timber harvesting have become key considerations in the determination of the environmental credentials of timber.

Growing trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere at a rate of 1 tonne for every m3 of growth and convert it into carbohydrates through photosynthesis, while releasing the oxygen we breathe.

Certification or assessment of the extraction of other building materials is rare, even though many have significant environmental impacts.

Environmental certification for timber provides verifiable evidence to the consumer that the timber is sourced from sustainably managed forests.

FSC, is the most worldwide certificate process of inspecting particular forests or woodland to see if they are being managed according to the Forest Stewardship Council standards.

As a minimum, the FSC certification for timber includes:

- Certification that particular forests are managed in a way that complies with documented and agreed environmental standards;

- A documented chain of custody for the products drawn from those forests, through the production process to the customer;

- Controlled labelling of these products;

- Independent third party auditing that the standards of forest management and the chain of custody are being maintained.