Dimensional lumber is the lumber commonly used to frame the walls, floor, and roof of a building. It ranges in size from 1"x2" furring strips to 8"x12" beams. Large dimension lumber, larger than nominal 2x6, must be sawn from older, larger trees. The supply of these older trees is diminishing at an alarming rate. Lumber smaller than nominal 2x6 can often be sawn from trees harvested from managed forests with neutral or positive growth/removal rates.

Most U.S. homes are constructed with wood framing. Although wood is a renewable resource, the amount of wood required for construction purposes is taxing its regenerative capabilities as well as depleting a critical component of ecological balance. Trees affect water quality, rainfall, and air quality, both in the immediate region and on a global scale.

Although the status of wood resources is hotly debated, its long-term viability is clearly impacted by the expanding demand created from population growth. The reduction of primary forest cover has spurred further debate on the management of the forests as balanced ecosystems. Some new management approaches are based upon sustainable principles. The principles of sustainability, which underpin the Green Building Program, favor forest management practices that retain natural forest ecosystems.

Some of the options associated with this approach are difficult to implement. There are few "certified" sustainably managed wood sources.

The active certifying organizations, listed in the Resources section, have developed strong ecologically based criteria. Third party wood certification programs should be associated with the Forest Stewardship Council, an international coalition promoting a common set of principles and guidelines used to evaluate certifying organizations. "Certified" wood products from these sources are monitored to ensure that basic ecosystem benefits, functions and regional viability are maintained (See Certified Wood).

Wood from old growth forests is not identified in final products, making the option of avoiding it very difficult. Most of the old growth trees are in Redwood and Douglas fir regions; however, wood of these species exists that is not from old growth areas.

Southern wood species such as yellow pine are harvested in Texas. Using a regional species can provide an economic benefit to the state and to our area. The growth/removal rate for yellow pine looks positive for the future, although increased demand could cause problems.

Another option is the use of engineered lumber. These reconstituted wood materials use laminated wood chips/strands/veneers and finger-joining (gluing large pieces together) to reduce waste. Use of engineered wood from all species offers many benefits such as a reduction of waste of lumber at the forest and sawmill (by using small diameter trees and more of the tree) as well as the jobsite (by being consistent in quality and not requiring culling or cutoffs caused by knots, checks, wanes, twists, etc.). Additionally, using smaller dimensional wood (smaller than 2x10) allows smaller trees to be used, which can be helpful in tree farming rotations (common with yellow pine).

The framing materials discussed in this section have standard installation and construction requirements.

"Certified" wood will become more available over time. Certification organizations should indicate an association with the Forest Stewardship Council, as mentioned above.

Recycled and salvaged wood from demolition projects may also be used for structural purposes and is becoming increasingly popular. Quality and integrity of beams, columns, and studs should be determined by the buyer as well as an architect, engineer, or building official to ensure that the material is appropriate for the intended use.

Because of the fluctuating prices of lumber, an increasing number of builders have switched to alternative framing materials such as steel and concrete, which offer very good structural alternatives to wood framing. These materials are also not susceptible to many of the traditional downfalls of lumber such as rot, fire, and termites. Austin Energy Green Building always encourages investigation of more durable alternatives in any building material.

See "Engineers - Structural" in Yellow Pages

Austin Lumber Company
2415 E. 5th St
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 476-5534
Local supplier of certified sustainable wood

Big Creek Lumber
3564 Highway 1
Davenport, CA 95017
(831) 457-6385
www.big-creek.com
Sustainable wood producer

Collins Pine Co.
1618 S. W. 1st Ave., Ste. 300
Portland, OR 97201
(800) 329-1219
www.CollinsWood.com
Sustainable wood producer

Delta Millworks
4701 E. 5th St.
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 385-1812
Recycled wood processor, supplier

Discovery's "From the Past"
409 St. Francis
Gonzales, TX 78629
(888) 686-2966
Antique doors, windows, beams, flooring, trim & architectural elements

EcoTimber International
1611 Fourth Street
San Rafael, CA 94901
(415) 258-8454
Fax (415) 258-8455
www.ecotimber.com
Sustainable wood supplier

Keweenaw Land Association, Limited
1801 E. Cloverland Dr.
P.O. Box 188
Ironwood, MI 49938
(906) 932-3410
www.keweenaw.com
Sustainable wood producer

Living Elements, LP
2046 County Road 115
Burnet, TX 78611
(512) 756-0702
TF: (888) 426-7978
info@livingelements.com
www.livingelements.com
Specializing in Mesquite and Hardwoods

Long Lost Lumber
600B Wayside
Wimberly TX 78676
(512) 923-2650
longlostlumber@yahoo.com
www.longlostlumber.com

Menominee Tribal Enterprises
Hwy 47 N., P. O. Box 10
Neopit, WI 54150
(715) 756-2311
www.mtewood.com
Sustainable wood producer

Naturally Durable™
219 West Manhattan Ave.
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 983-1200
paulfuge@certifiedwood.com
www.naturallydurable.com
Importer and distributor of rot resistant tropical hardwoods, no toxic preservatives

Plaza Hardwood, Inc,
219 West Manhattan
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(800) 662-6306
www.plzfloor.com
Distributor of FSC - certified hardwood flooring

Precision Woodworks
507 E. Jackson St.
Burnet, TX 78611
(512) 756-6950
www.texaswoodwork.com
Recycled wood supplier

Seven Islands Land Management Co.
112 Broadway
P.O. Box 1168
Bangor, ME 04402-1168
(207) 947-0541
Sustainable wood producer

Texas Architectural Timbers
5446 Arroyo Luis
Bulverde, TX 78163
(210) 385-3052
Reclaimed fir and hardwood timbers

Texas Woods, Inc.
1192 Highway 304
Bastrop, TX 78602
1-800-687-1779
(512)303-5667
mesquite@bastrop.com
www.texaswoods.com
Flooring, lumber, beams, mantels, doors from native woods and some reclaimed wood

What It's Worth
P.O. Box 162135
Austin, TX 78716
(512) 328-8837
wiwpine@aol.com
Recycled wood supplier

General Assistance:

Institute for Sustainable Forestry
P. O. Box 1580
Redway, CA 95560
(707) 923-7004
www.newforestry.org
Advocates, educates

MetaFore: Forest Certification Resource Center
www.metafore.org
Comprehensive, objective information about forest certification

Rainforest Alliance/SmartWood Program
65 Millet Street, Suite 201
Richmond, Vermont 05477
(802) 434-5491
info@ra.org
www.rainforest-alliance.org
Certifying organization

Scientific Certification Systems
(510) 452-8007
rhrubes@scscertified.com
www.scscertified.com
Certifying organization

The Southern Cypress Manufacturers Assn.
400 Penn Center Blvd., Ste. 530
Pittsburgh, PA 15235
(412) 829-0770

Southern Forest Products Association
Treated and Residential Markets Manager
P. O. Box 641700
Kenner, LA 70064-1700
(504) 443-4464
www.sfpa.org

Rainforest Action Network
221 Pine St., Ste. 500
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 398-4404
www.ran.org