Some call it “stewardship forestry,” a few industry members prefer “well-managed forestry,” others like “long-term forestry.” Whatever the moniker, analysts believe the move toward “green” certification and marketing of “green” lumber is accelerating.

“It’s changing the face of the forest industry,” says Richard Miller, executive director of The Forest Partnership, a Vermont-based non-profit group which distributes green wood and tracks certifiers.

Although the programs include only one-half of one percent of the timber industry, Mr. Miller nevertheless calls the certification programs “the most revolutionary change in the forest industry in its history. This is the bridge between the environmental community and the forest products industry.”

While certification is gaining popularity, the fledgling industry faces several hurdles. Green certification has not been embraced by large forest-products companies like Weyerhaeuser and Georgia-Pacific. Also, a key question is: who will certify the certifiers? Although Rainforest Alliance and SCS dominate the certification business right now, a spate of European and American groups are entering the business.

To assure credibility, environmentalists and certifiers have created the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a non-profit umbrella group that will begin accrediting certifiers sometime this summer.