Boise Cascade’s laminated veneer lumber (right) offers consistent quality when compared to traditional dimensional lumber.
Sourcing, Tracking and Planning
The sustainability of Boise’s system starts with the raw materials. “Boise Cascade demands full forest certification of all wood fiber used,” says Denny Huston, general sales manager of Boise Cascade Engineered Wood Products. “The company doesn’t own forests, but buys wood fiber in compliance with forest certification standards, such as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).” Huston says that Boise Cascade utilizes a chain-of-custody tracking system that documents the sourcing of all wood fiber purchased, which ensures that only material from acceptable sources makes its way into Boise’s inventory. Through the use of this comprehensive, documented system, Boise Cascade engineered wood products are eligible for credits toward either LEED or National Green Building Standard certification.
TREE SCIENCE
PEELING VS. CUTTING
Finding new ways to reduce waste throughout the manufacturing process is one task Boise Cascade has mastered with its engineered wood products. “When you look at traditional dimensional lumber, you’re taking a round log and you’re trying to cut rectangular pieces out of it,” Carver says, “The whole geometry of it creates a lot more waste.” So instead of cutting conventional boards out of each tree, Boise Cascade instead peels their logs. This shaves veneers off each log, and the plies are then glued together to create Versa-Lam beams and Versa-Stud framing lumber. These laminated products offer the right moisture content for fewer post-construction problems, and they’re stronger and straighter than dimensional lumber. The more efficient use of raw materials adds to the sustainability of Boise Cascade’s engineered framing products.
The process of peeling the tree creates very little dust, instead using virtually all of the wood fiber to create laminated veneer lumber.
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