Denmark’s most used sustainable building certification scheme, DGNB, can now award additional points for the use of wood produced without clear-cutting. The new criterion brings the impacts of forest management into the sustainability assessment of building materials while creating a market incentive for the use of EverCover-certified wood. For the first time, the impacts of forest management are directly reflected in the sustainability assessment of a wooden building.
Green Building Council Denmark (GBC DK) has become the first organisation in the world to introduce additional points into a sustainable building certification system for wood produced through continuous-cover forestry, i.e. forest management without clear-cutting.
Under the GBC DK certification scheme, a building project can now receive 15 additional points by using wood that is verified as being produced according to the principles of closer-to-nature forest management. The criteria are based on the EU’s Guidelines on Closer-to-Nature Forest Management, which aim to promote biodiversity, carbon sequestration and the adaptation of forests to climate change. According to GBC DK, EverCover is currently the only forest certification scheme that meets the organisation’s new criteria.
“EverCover’s criteria are based on scientific research and follow the principles of continuous-cover forestry,” says Saija Kuusela, Chair of the Board of the Association for Ecological Forestry Certification, which administers the EverCover certification.
“Wood certification cannot be based just on claims about sustainability. What matters is the impact that forest management has on the forest. Clear-cutting causes biodiversity loss and reduces soil carbon stocks, which further contributes to climate warming. These impacts can be avoided through continuous-cover forestry. Denmark has now recognised this, and I believe other countries will be interested as well,” Kuusela adds.
“Research shows that most forest owners in Finland have a positive attitude towards continuous-cover forestry and report using the method on at least part of their forests,” says Marcus Walsh, Chair of the Board of forest company Innofor Oy.
“Interest among forest owners in EverCover certification is growing steadily, which means we can quickly start supplying wood to interested customers. I believe the popularity of EverCover will grow rapidly in the market,” Walsh adds.
Under the GBC DK certification scheme, building projects can now receive 15 additional points by using wood produced without clear-cutting that meets EverCover’s requirements. According to GBC DK, the additional points have been introduced to increase demand for certified wood and promote biodiversity and closer-to-nature forest management.
The GBC DK certification assesses the environmental performance of buildings against a range of different criteria. The new additional points make the impacts of forest management part of the sustainability assessment of building materials.
“I’m happy to see that the interest in the sustainability of wood is increasing in the construction sector. More and more forest owners want to produce high-quality timber in an ecologically sustainable way and take pride in knowing that it will end up in long-lasting products such as buildings. This also requires economic incentives, and the EverCover certification now makes it possible to provide them,” says Jarkko Lehtopelto, Chair of the Board Silva ry, the Finnish Association for Continuous-Cover Forestry.
See GBC DK LinkedIn for more information: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/raadet-for-baeredygtigt-byggeri_ny-bonus-i-dgnb-2025-honorerer-tr%C3%A6-fra-certificeret-activity-7500560801754247169-wx51?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAADuSPsBJwOoTOuGG0nKmwuZ6NdVGbtbOdA
Media contact:
Saija Kuusela
Chair of the Board
Association for Ecological Forestry Certification ry
p. +358 40 132 1667
Marcus Walsh
Chair of the Board
Innofor Oy
p. +358 400 513 410
Jarkko Lehtopelto
Chair of the Board
The continuous cover association Silva ry
jarkko.lehtopelto@jatkuvakasvatus.fi
p. +358 50 553 9921