Interview with PEFC chairman: 'We have to let the forest be the forest'

Building with wood is the credo in 2021. The value of certified wood is well established. Speaking is Maarten Willemen, president of PEFC Netherlands, the label that guarantees that wood and paper products come from a sustainably managed forest, with equal attention to People, Planet & Profit. "We do see that the public still has many questions," Willemen says.

"Knowledge transfer therefore remains necessary," he continues. "That also applies, by the way, towards the architects, who regularly present interesting questions. I understand that. Architects are naturally curious, naturally want to keep their own signature on the designs but are looking for the possibilities and opportunities."

"A lot is possible with wood. In our surrounding countries there is already a lot of expertise and experience in the field of building with wood. Product developments also continue - think of Mass Engineered Timber - and that is a good thing. By combining knowledge and through innovation, wood will be used more and more in building houses."

Building with wood is already "booming"! 

"It is therefore good that the PEFC label has really gained a firm foothold in the market. The bottomline is simple: we have to let the forest be the forest: it is the habitat for endless plants and animals, so timber harvesting should not harm biodiversity. The people who live or work in the forests also want to have a good living. There must be a realistic earning model, because that gives forests an economic right to exist. A stable economic basis under the forest guarantees that the forest will be preserved. At PEFC we therefore say: don't harvest more wood than it grows."

"We hope to convince even more people - including architects - not to be discouraged by the ifs and buts expressed in advance about building with wood. Innovations such as LVL and CLT have already proven that wood is a fantastic building material that can be further developed. We can already construct cleverly with wood, and if that wood is certified, architects are helping to preserve our forests."

A good example is the construction of the Nautical Coordination Center in the port of Amsterdam. WRK Architects designed the remarkable building. Located in the western port area, it reflects the sustainable and circular ambitions of the Amsterdam Port Authority. The special feature is that the entire structure - wall, floor and roof - is built from one and the same wooden product: Kerto LVL. 

The industrial and natural DNA of this wood product has remained fully visible, giving sublime comfort to its users.