Glossary of terms

Some of the terms used to described timber, logging practices and certification can be confusing or even misleading. Use this glossary to find definitions for terms related to Good Wood and timber selection.

Australian Forestry Standards (AFS)

A forest industry and government system developed to give recognition to Australian wood. AFS is not a credible certification system and AFS-certified areas include controversial old growth forests in Tasmania. There is no environmental organisation support for AFS.

CBFT (Community Based Fair Trade)

Products and materials verified as CBFT in the Good Wood Guide come from community small-scale sawn timber and carry an amber rating.

Certification

An inspection process to ensure responsible management of the world's forests. Certification involves the assessment of forest management and tracking timber and wood products through a chain of custody from the raw material to the finished product. Standards of certification may vary. The internationally recognised standard is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Chain of custody

Tracking the management, control and ownership of timber from the source (the forest) to the end timber product.

Clearfelling

A logging practice in which most or all trees in a forest area are felled.

Ecoforestry

Harvesting timber and other products from the forest in a way that ensures the long-term integrity of its biodiversity while giving local communities an income. Ecoforestry is built on 3 key foundations:

• community organisation
• clear and undisputed land rights
• a participatory land use plan

» Find out more about ecoforestry

Ecotimber

The hardwood carried out of the Paradise Forests by ecoforestry workers is called ecotimber. Greenpeace helps bring high quality, beautiful ecotimber from Solomon Islands to external markets, including Australia and New Zealand. Ecotimber is milled from hardwood species dillenia (Dillenia salomonensis), Pacific rosewood (Pterocarpus indicus) and taun (Pometia pinnata). It can be used for joinery, floorboards, benchtops, decking, panelling and furniture.

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

An international network to promote responsible management of the world's forests. Timber with the FSC logo is a guarantee that the product is good wood. FSC certification ensures:

• forests are well managed to ensure continued benefits for future generations, with biodiversity maintained and minimal impact on soils and waterways
• the rights of indigenous people are protected
• forest management is legal and does not use genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
• local communities living in or close to the forest benefit from its management and use.

Heartwood

The d ead central wood of trees. Its cells usually contain tannins or other substances that make it dark and sometimes fragrant. Heartwood is mechanically strong, resistant to decay and less easily penetrated by wood-preservative chemicals than other types of wood. One or more layers of living and functional sapwood cells are periodically converted to heartwood.

Illegal logging

Harvesting, transporting, buying or selling timber in violation of national laws. Illegal logging is rampant as many producer countries lack capacity to enforce laws which restrict destructive logging practices. Other influences include corruption in governments. Find out more on the Greenpeace website.

Legal timber

Timber is legal when the validity of its origin, logging permit, logging system and procedures, administration and transport documentation, processing, and trade or transfer are verified as meeting all applicable legal requirements.

Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC)

A timber certification scheme that is not credible. In particular, MTCC does not recognise the rights of indigenous peoples. MTCC timber is commonly sold in Australia.

Paradise Forests

An area stretching from South-East Asia, across the islands of Indonesia, to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in the Pacific.This diverse region supports hundreds of indigenous cultures. The Paradise Forests consist of tropical rainforests, mangrove, coastal and swamp forests. Monsoon and deciduous forests flourish in the drier and more mountainous regions. They shelter an amazingly rich number of plant and animal species, many of which occur nowhere else on earth.

» Photo story: Wildlife of the Paradise Forests

Sapwood

Relatively thin, youngest, outer part of the woody stem of a tree, softer and lighter than the inner heartwood. Sapwood is the part that conducts water and dissolved materials. In the cross section of a tree, the sapwood is recognisable by its texture and color. As the tree grows in diameter, the innermost layers of sapwood become heartwood and new sapwood is produced on the outside of the woody column.

spp.

Unknown or unspecified species name. In the Good Wood Guide, spp. means that any number of species from that genus are commony used to make that timber.

Good Wood saves the climate:

Forest destruction is responsible for about one fifth of global greenhouse emissions each year. This is because forests trap carbon and help stabilise the world's climate – when they are destroyed carbon is released.