What FSC® Certification Means and Why You Should Care

Tamarack Collection: FSC® Certified Furniture

The Tamarack line- Chair, Rope Chair, and Table- you know and love is the perfect addition to any outdoor or indoor space. Beautifully harvested acacia wood makes for unique furniture that adds a certain charm you can’t find anywhere else. While our Tamarack furniture is known for being functional, stylish, and quite captivating, the most important feature is that they are sustainable. Part of CleverMade’s commitment to our planet is only using 100% FSC® certified acacia wood. What is FSC® certification, you ask? Let’s dive in!

FSC® stands for Forest Stewardship Council® and they “are an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting responsible forestry.” This means that “products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits.” The acacia wood used to make our line is harvested from an FSC® certified forest, therefore has the smallest environmental impact. The FSC® ensures that the trees collected are NOT coming from old-growth forests or virgin forests where the negative environmental impact is vast. Instead, FSC® focuses on sustainable tree plantations where the trees that are harvested are typically about 10 years old and are replanted after every harvest. This scheme maintains the ecological integrity of old growth/virgin forests where biodiversity is rich while also allowing folks to have the economic benefits of tree harvesting. In essence, protect natural forests while sustainability harvesting unnatural forests (plantations).

Continuing the benefits of FSC®, they are tightly restrictive on the use of hazardous pesticides, which improves health for both humans and the environment. Since 2/3 of the water we drink starts in a forested watershed, FSC® requires managers to leave buffers along waterways to protect water quality. FSC® also protects the “legal and customary rights of indigenous peoples to own, use and manage their lands, territories, and resources”. In addition, they promise to “enhance the long-term social and economic well-being of forest workers and local communities.” If that wasn’t enough for you, FSC® is backed by major environmental organizations such as Sierra Club and World Wildlife Fund.

Producing natural wood items that are FSC® certified is just one of the ways that we at CleverMade strive to make quality products that you, our customers, can feel good about purchasing. The next time you sit back and relax in your Tamarack Chair, give yourself a pat on the back for assisting in the continued effort of sustainable forestry.