The "salvage" classification remains controversial. Forest salvage, sinker logs, and lesser known species are not currently certified by FSC because of controversy over habitat protection and chain of custody issues, and because these materials are not post-consumer products.

However, Woodbank recognizes the important contribution that salvage woods make to the green building industry. In our view, these "stranded" resources can be considered sustainable based upon the combination of environmental, social and economic factors in a given source area. Woodbank partners with local green wood co-operatives, utilizing these resources to sustain their labor forces and established manufacturers in economically feasible ventures, producing green wood products for architectural LEED projects and green-certifiable manufactured goods.

Salvage Material Sources:

Standing Dead and Bug-Infested Trees:
Wood beetles kill living trees without damaging wood. Even a forest fire which kills a tree may leave it substantially intact. In certain low-humidity environments, trees may remain standing for decades and become thoroughly dry. Although dead trees, standing and otherwise, are an important part of wildlife habitat, in certain areas it is important to remove dead trees in order to mitigate fire hazard.

Hazard and Windfall:
Salvage wood includes trees that have been recently harvested from urban or suburban areas, such as diseased or damaged trees in danger of falling over.

Agricultural Waste:
Washington's depressed apple industry is currently razing apple orchards and selling the material for firewood. Woodbank's resource recovery facility contracst with local orchard owners to collect the tree waste and convert it into pressed fire logs for retail sale.

Sinker Logs:
Historically, logs were often transported by river from logging site to sawmill. Some of these logs were lost, sinking to the river bottom and remaining submerged for many years. Protected for over a century in cold, low-oxygen conditions, these virgin logs are extremely well-preserved.

Lesser Known Species and Under-Utilized Wood Fiber:
Although approximately 150 species in the highly-diverse Central American tropical rainforests have potential economic utility, only 10-15 species are commercialized. The results are highly selective extraction which is destructive to ecosystems, encouragement of illegal trade to meet demand for traditional species, and the clear cutting and burning of trees for agricultural land. Local landowners who enjoy a market for these under-utilized trees are less likely to clear forestlands for agriculture.
 

Species