Progress Report on USDA and USFS
Green Building Initiatives
Changing Forests…Enduring Values
USDA and FS Lead the Way on
Green Buildings
Chief Tidwell –
“As we move forward with restoring America’s forests, we
are getting smarter and more efficient in how we use
wood products as both an energy and green building
source, which will help maintain rural jobs”
Changing Forests…Enduring Values
Sustainability:
The Big Picture
Sustainability
Changing Forests…Enduring Values
USDA Strategy - Goals
1. USE: select wood in new USFS & USDA building construction
2. RESEARCH: enhance research & development of green
building materials
3. DEMONSTRATION: capture opportunities in USFS, USDA
and with partners to demonstrate new uses of wood
4. PARTNERSHIPS: develop and support partnerships for
using wood in federal government, private, and NGO sectors
Changing Forests…Enduring Values
Use of Wood Pre-2011
Sylamore RD Office
Ozark – St. Francis National Forest
Mountain View, AR
 First FS certified green
building, 2006
 Building is wood framed
with wood and stone
veneer siding
Changing Forests…Enduring Values
USFS 2011 Directive
 Increase use of locally milled
timber in all new agency
buildings and facilities
Camino Real Ranger Station, Carson
National Forest, Penasco, NM
Building features locally milled
wood products
Changing Forests…Enduring Values
USDA Strategic Sustainability
Performance Plan
Goal 3, Objective 6 – Use Domestic
Wood as the Preferred Sustainable
Building Construction Material.
“Use domestically harvested wood
products, ideally locally sourced and
from National Forest System lands
wherever practicable and feasible, as
the preferred green building material
for all USDA facilities and buildings.”
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Progress
Goal 1: Use of wood in building construction
 LCI/LCA: current information and tools to meet green
building codes and standards; develop environmental
product declarations (EPDs)
 Direction: 2011 USDA Strategic Sustainability Performance
Plan & USDA Sustainable Buildings Implementation Plan
(soon to be published)
 Buildings constructed in AK, NM, OR, CA, etc.
 Under design and registered in “Green Globes”:
 Research Triangle Park Forestry Science & Assessment
Center (NC)
 Enoree Ranger District Office (SC)
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Changing Forests…Enduring Values
New USFS Buildings
Angeles National Forest Supervisor Office
Arcadia, CA
 24,500 sq. ft.
 Wood frame
 Wood trusses in
roof system
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Camino Real Ranger Station, Carson National Forest
Penasco, NM
 8,500 sq. ft.
 Locally milled wood
products
 Wood in framing,
sheathing, doors,
and windows
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Corvallis Laboratory – Siuslaw National Forest HQ Office
Corvallis, OR
Before construction
After construction
 9,700 sq. ft.
 Wood exterior, interior
paneling, glulam and
wood fixtures
Changing Forests…Enduring Values
Juneau Laboratory, AK
Changing Forests…Enduring Values
Enoree Ranger District Office
Francis Marion-Sumter NF
Whitmire, SC
 Renovation and
addition planned for
2013
 Expected to be first
FS Green Globes
building
Changing Forests…Enduring Values
Progress
Goal 2: Enhancing green building and wood use
research & development
 Innovative ways to use smaller diameter timber, leftover
branches and limbs
 New building materials research at FPL
 Enhancing the development and application of LCA
 Developing wood product standards and code acceptance for
wood in non-residential construction
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Nanotechnology
Cross Laminated Timber
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Progress
Goal 3: Demonstrating innovative uses of wood
compatible with green building standards
 Demo projects:
 FPL Demo house, Madison, WI
 Mississippi State University campus
 Haywood Community College campus, NC
 Green building competitions:
 Carbon Challenge Baltimore
 Carbon Challenge Providence
 Supporting USDA Biopreferred Program
Changing Forests…Enduring Values
FPL - Advanced Housing Research Center
Demonstration House
Madison, WI
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Changing Forests…Enduring Values
Progress
Goal 4: Develop partnerships in federal, private, and
NGO sectors to advance the use of wood
 Promote wood preference policy with USDA’s position on White
House Steering Committee on Federal Sustainability
 Outreach results of the FPL - LCA study and ongoing work
 Work with GSA on high performance building guiding principles
 Partner with U.S. WoodWorks program on educating and
transferring technology to design and building professionals
 New DOD schools initiative partnership
 Continue offering technical assistance to private, non-profit and
public sector
Changing Forests…Enduring Values
Partnership Opportunities
 How can we move forward as a community
to develop and promote sustainable wood
uses?
 How do we build a bigger, more effective
coalition supporting wood as a material for
sustainability?
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How Can We Better Position Wood
in the Big Sustainability Picture?
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Changing Forests…Enduring Values
Thank you ….
Contact:
 Jim Reaves, Deputy Chief – Research and Development
(jreaves@fs.fed.us)
 Dave Cleaves , Climate Change Advisor – Office of the Chief
(dcleaves@fs.fed.us)
Changing Forests…Enduring Values