Legislation to Recognize Wood Products Introduced in House

In the U.S. House of Representatives, a bipartisan effort is underway to get forest products recognized under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) BioPreferred program.

The program's aim is to increase federal buying of biobased products and establish a market of "USDA certified biobased" products through a voluntary labeling program. Most forest products are currently excluded, according to a release from U.S. Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) and Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), who introduced the legislation. To change that, the Forest Products Fairness Act of 2012 would modify the definition of "biobased product" as defined in the 2008 Farm Bill, which established the BioPreferred Program.

"The Forest Products Fairness Act of 2012 will offer producers stronger, expanded product markets, so that the industry can better compete in the global marketplace," said Thompson. "This modification is a win-win for consumers and producers, along with the promotion of healthy, well-managed forests, and the protection of communities that rely on these jobs and industries to survive."

After being introduced, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture, of which Schrader is a member.

This legislation in the House is similar to a bill introduced in April in the Senate by Sens. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).