Bamboo and LEED Discussed During Senator's Visit to Shannon Lumber

During a Sept. 25 tour at J.T. Shannon Lumber in Horn Lake, Miss., Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said the LEED standard managed by the U.S. Green Building Council is hurting the American wood products industry, according to Memphis newspaper The Commercial Appeal.

Officials for Shannon Lumber, which earned FSC certification in 2009 and is the owner of Shamrock Plank Flooring, bemoaned the fact bamboo flooring is picked in LEED projects over hardwood.

"It's nothing but glue holding strands of bamboo together," Jack T. Shannon Jr., owner of the company told the newspaper. "It is formaldehyde, laminates and plastics."

To counter the problem, Wicker, a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, added a section to the National Defense Authorization Act that would prevent the Department of Defense from using LEED standards in construction projects until the National Academy of Science determines the effectiveness of building standards. "We want sound science to guide policies," Wicker said.

Shamrock said its FSC certification process cost it about $60,000, which can be a high hurdle for smaller wood products companies. The less costly Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the American Tree Farm System certifications are not eligible to earn points under the LEED standard.

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