By Steven Feldman
JOHNSON CITY, TENN.—Mullican has been penetrating the market with Green Haven, the industry’s first ¾-inch solid domestic product to achieve Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) PURE certification, indicating it is made entirely of wood or fiber originating from FSC-certified forests.

According to Brian Greenwell, vice president of sales and marketing, Mullican believes the green movement is only going to increase in importance to consumers. “A lot of people talk green, but this collection is truly 100% green,” he said, “and we are the first to do it. It shows our commitment to the environment by allowing builders, designers, architects and consumers to purchase green. I have one lady in Atlanta who waited three months to buy this product because she wanted a truly green product.”

The six-product collection, housed in its own display, includes four species— red oak, white oak, hickory and maple— in 3- and 5-inch widths. There are two 5-inch hand-sculpted products. Exotic species will be added to Green Haven in the fall, as will an engineered line. Cost is about 30% higher than the same non-FSC-certified product.

FSC certification starts at the forest, where logs must be harvested in a responsible manner, in other words, not overcutting. In the process, a company must be cognizant of the environment, the water, the people, etc. This responsibility continues throughout the entire chain, to the point where to ensure certification the loggers must keep the logs separate and sawmills must keep the lumber separate. Product cannot mix with other inventory. “Even our distributors have to be FSC chain-of-custody certified,” Greenwell said. “That entails them keeping Green Haven separate from other products in the warehouse.”