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SmartLam is first U.S. CLT manufacturer to earn SFI chain-of-custody certification

May 8, 2017 - The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) has announced that SmartLam, LLC, is the first U.S. manufacturer of cross‑laminated timber (CLT) to be certified to the SFI 2015-2019 Chain-of-Custody Standard. SmartLam is also the first manufacturer to produce CLT in the U.S.

SmartLam manufactures CLT for a variety of applications, including floor, roof and wall systems. SFI's Chain-of-Custody Standard helps companies address the growing demand from governments, customers, and consumers for responsibly sourced forest products.   

CLT is the next-generation of engineered wood products. Extensively tested and already widely used in Europe, CLT has vast applications for construction, industrial matting and bridging. Architects and builders choose wood because it looks great, has numerous environmental characteristics – including renewability – and it's easy to work with. In addition, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow, sequestering and storing the carbon while producing oxygen which reduces greenhouse gases and improves air quality.

"At SmartLam, we make CLT, but we like to tell our clients what we really sell is time. CLT increases construction speed and reduces a project's cost and carbon footprint. Now, with certification to the SFI Chain-of-Custody Standard, we can also offer our clients supply chain assurance that our products are sourced from well-managed forests that are third-party certified to SFI's rigorous standards," said Casey Malmquist, president and general manager at SmartLam.

SmartLam produces CLT at its Columbia Falls facility in Northwest Montana and is part of a global movement to use wood in tall buildings. Advances in technology are producing more engineered-wood products and mass-timber products that increase the capabilities of building with wood.

A multi-use, multi-level building currently under construction in Whitefish, Montana, will feature an elevator shaft manufactured from SmartLam CLT. The lumber was supplied by F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co., an SFI Program Participant near Columbia Falls, Montana.

"We are excited for SmartLam to be the first CLT manufacturer in the U.S. to be certified to the SFI Chain of Custody Standard. Our chain-of-custody standard is a rigorous environmental accounting system that tracks forest fiber content through production and manufacturing to the end product," said Jason Metnick, senior vice-president of customer affairs at SFI.

SmartLam will also be able to use chain-of-custody certification to position itself as a supplier in the green building market that is officially recognized by green building rating systems. Wood products sold as certified under the SFI Chain-of-Custody Standard allow SmartLam's CLT to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits through the LEED Alternative Compliance Path or credits through the Green Globes Rating System.

May 8, 2017  By Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.