As green becomes the new gold standard, hotel owners and operators are increasingly looking to differentiate their brands through environmentally responsible facilities that get the attention of eco-conscious travelers. A 2010 survey of U.S. travelers found this strategy is effective; 48 percent of travelers said they would select a supplier that shows concern for the environment over those that do not. In addition to attracting business, investing in environmentally friendly features can cut operational costs and benefit the hotel’s bottom line.

To gain this competitive edge with consumers, owners commonly pursue widely recognized accreditations, such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. For wood, however, complying with the requirements to gain a LEED point has impacts throughout the product supply chain and may have the unintended consequence of encouraging tropical deforestation.

Early in the construction of a new hotel or renovation of an existing structure, architects and designers must make decisions about the woods they will specify. Color schemes of rooms and floors must integrate the patterns and colors of wood selections. Once a wood is selected, the suppliers must identify sources of supply for all of the lumber and veneer. This is where current design practice creates a problem in selection that has repercussions all the way to the forest.

Supply Chain Challenges
To receive the wood credit in the LEED system, more than 50 percent of new wood in a hotel must come from forests certified to the principles of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Given that only 7% of the world’s production forests are FSC certified and most of those are in temperate climates, this effectively excludes most supplies of cherished tropical woods like mahogany, sapele and teak from the building market in North America. Many companies and communities in tropical regions have been trained by the Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF) and others in sustainable forest management, but either have not yet achieved FSC certification or are not pursuing that certificate for a variety of reasons.

In addition to the complexities of managing tropical ecosystems and international trade of wood materials, there are three consistent challenges that suppliers face when delivering wood products to the U.S. market — lack of demand for product, cost of certification and natural variations in wood.

“These challenges impact tropical timber suppliers’ ability to ensure their own financial success, maintain the economic viability of the forests and, in turn, protect the long-term sustainability of their concessions,” shares Art Klassen, project director at TFF-Indonesia, an affiliate of the Tropical Forest Foundation.

Lack of Demand
If specifying wood materials causes such difficulties in tropical forests, it might seem best to not source those materials at all. In fact, a lack of demand for tropical timber actually encourages wood suppliers, land owners and even governments to convert the forest to other uses, such as agriculture or plantations, that have greater perceived economic benefit. This knowledge has been widely accepted by science, conservation and the industry since the Smithsonian Tropical Forestry Workshop in 1989, the event that triggered the formation of TFF.

Demand for products made from sustainably harvested timber helps tropical forests and communities maintain their economic viability. In turn, this gives suppliers greater confidence to invest in improved forest management and, potentially, third-party certification.

Cost of Certification
Materials certified by organizations such as FSC are increasingly attractive in western markets because they are most easily recognized by consumers. However, these certifications are time-consuming and expensive, which prevents some suppliers from pursuing certification.

In addition to the FSC program, there are several alternatives such as TFF’s RIL-Verified (Reduced Impact Logging) and the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartStep that that are highly effective in auditing sustainable forest management. Working with these other programs helps suppliers who have already invested in improved practices gain a return on their investment and possibly pursue additional certifications.

Natural Variations in Wood Materials
In addition to lack of demand and cost of certification, wood product importers and manufacturers must also meet aesthetic demands that do not always leave room for natural variations inherent in all wood materials. These narrow specifications are then passed on to the suppliers in the tropical forest, who must deliver only material that fits the narrow requirements and find a different use for the byproduct. The lower value of the byproduct reduces the economic value of the forest and opens the potential of converting the land to other uses.

How the Lodging Industry Can Help
People in the lodging industry, like people in all countries, have a stake in sustaining tropical forests. They are home to the greatest number of species in the world, sequester the carbon emissions from all countries and provide a wealth of products for the marketplace, which help to sustain local forest communities. Whether the wood materials will become hardwood floors in the hotel lobby or solid wood cabinets in guestrooms, hotel owners and operators can take three actions when sourcing wood products for their properties that can help sustain the forest:

Keep specifying tropical wood: Demand ensures the economic viability of the forests, protecting them from conversion and encouraging well-managed companies to keep investing in training and better forest management.

Look beyond LEED credits: Consider sourcing materials from companies working with TFF, the Rainforest Alliance and other programs that help companies and communities improve their forest management.

Accept natural wood variations: Work with architects and designers to incorporate wood’s natural variability into designs so that more of a tree can be used and less material ends up as byproduct.

Bob Johnston is executive director of the Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF) based in metropolitan Washington, D.C. TFF is an international, non-profit, educational institution committed to advancing environmental stewardship, economic prosperity, and social responsibility through sustainable forest management in tropical regions.