Environment

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Environmental Commitment
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
Green Building
Certified Green Professionals On Staff
Browse our NEW Green Catalog

Environmental Commitment

Founded on March 17th, 1892, St. Patrick's Day. Edward Hines Lumber Co. has a long tradition of protecting the environment and bringing products to our customers that contribute to a healthy and comfortable, cost-effective and visually pleasing home.

At our Oregon lumber mill during the late 1930's, Hines Lumber, in association with the US Forest Service, developed "light-cutting," a sustainable-yield forest management procedure at the Malheur National Forest.

What had never been done before in Ponderosa Pine was successfully started there. By "light-cutting," the felling of no more than four or five trees per acre and the removal of over-ripe mature trees, the forest is not only revitalized so that it can better combat disease, insects and fire, but it is also put in balance, wherein the drain on the forest does not exceed nature's rate of growth. Today, sustainable forest management is the core concept for the various forest certification programs in use around the world. As stated in 1928 by our company founder, Edward Hines, "There is no good reason why reforestation cannot be undertaken and the lumber business be made as perpetual in America as the growing of wheat."

Over the years on "Arbor Day," we have given away over one million trees in the Chicagoland area, which have grown and enhanced our communities.

Our on-line Green Product Catalog is a way for homeowners, builders, architects and designers to find products that contribute to creating a high-performance home or commercial project. Browse Green Product Catalog

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Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes the responsible management of the world's working forests through the development of standards, a certification system, and trademark recognition.

In 1994, FSC's members approved an international set of principles and criteria. Under the FSC system, the principles and criteria provide the foundation for responsible forestry. As of April 2008, there are over 271 million acres of FSC-certified forests globally; 26.1 million acres of FSC-certified forests in the United States; 10,119 Chain-of-Custody certificates issued globally; and 2,237 Chain-of-Custody certificates issued in the United States.

The Edward Hines Lumber Co. has an FSC-certified Chain-of-Custody certificate for all of our locations including our lumberyards, millwork facility and pre-stain plant.

What is Chain-of-Custody?

Chain-of-Custody (COC) is the path taken by raw materials harvested from an FSC-certified source through processing, manufacturing and distribution until it is a final product ready for sale to the end consumer.

While consumers already select forest products based on species, grade, visual characteristics, etc., they can now identify products that provide an assurance of social and environmental responsibility on the part of the producer.

We are proud to work closely with the following Forest Product Companies that have been awarded an FSC-Forest Management Certification.

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Green Building

On a daily basis, we hear on the news and read in newspapers and magazines about the term "green" and "green building." What is it and why it is so important to the building industry?

Green building is an industry direction. Originally focused on commercial buildings, the trend is increasing its expansion to residential construction. According to McGraw-Hill, the green trend is crossing over into the housing market in a big way. In McGraw-Hill's recent report, "Green Outlook 2009: Trends Driving Change," the value of green building construction starts have increased five-fold from 2005 to 2008, and from $10 billion to somewhere between $36 billion and $49 billion.

The term "green" is often interchanged with "high-performance" or "healthy" because of the ability of the building to reduce its dependency on natural resources while providing a durable and healthy environment. The term "sustainable" is also receiving a lot of attention. It is defined by the National Council for Interior Design Qualifications (NCIDQ) as a "use of material that is capable of being continued with a minimal long-term effect on the environment."

Green building takes into account materials used, design methods, construction techniques, and the impact a building will have on the environment. Site orientation, indoor health and air quality, waste removal and reduction, use of recycled or sustainable materials, landscaping and more, are all considered in the planning, design and construction of a green project.

In the Chicagoland area there are three major residential Green Building programs available today.

The National Home Builder Association (NAHB) Model Green Homes Program
United States Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED-H
City of Chicago Green Homes Program

Green residential programs use five categories to evaluate residential construction.

Site & Lot Design
Resource Efficiency
Energy Efficiency
Water Efficiency
Indoor Environmental Quality
Homeowner Education

When considering products for your project, please remember:

There are NO LEED, NAHB or CHICAGO GREEN HOMES certified products.
A product CAN NOT GIVE you LEED, NAHB or Chicago Green Home points.
A product CAN CONTRIBUTE TOWARD or COMPLY with LEED, NAHB or Chicago Green Homes credit requirements.

Products fall into two categories: Contribution Credits and Compliance Credits.

Contribution credits: Based on the total project material costs. The contribution of a product to obtain credit is evaluated against the requirements in the Material & Resource section of the applicable residential program.
Compliance Credits: Based on a product or materials ability to meet the strict guidelines set forth in the credit requirements.

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Certified Green Professionals On Staff

Hines has on staff five National Association Home Builder CGP-Certified Green Professionals to help with your building project.

The CGP designation requires 24 hours of approved training offered by the NAHB's University of Housing and additional continuing education every two years. Upon successful completion, the individual is awarded the CGP designation, recognizing a high degree of professional competence.