How to use the Good Wood Guide

To search for timber products

1). Go to the Good Wood product search.

2). Select a Category from the drop down menu. The categories are:

• Materials (these are building materials, such as construction timbers, flooring, decking, joinery, mouldings, windows and doors)
• Indoor furniture   
• Outdoor furniture

Materials search:

1. Select 'Materials' in the Search by dropdown menu.
2. Select an option from the Category dropdown menu. Categories include: Construction, Decking, Flooring, Joinery, Mouldings, Sawn timber.
3.  Most categories default to the 'All' in the Product dropdown menu and your search results automatically display. If your search results do not appear, make a selection from the Product dropdown menu.

Indoor furniture search:

1. Select 'Indoor furniture' in the Search by dropdown menu.
2. Select 'Indoor furniture' in the Category dropdown menu.  
3. Your search results will automatically display.

Outdoor furniture search:  

1. Select 'Outdoor furniture' in the Search by dropdown menu.
2. Select an option from the Category dropdown menu. Categories include: Chairs and seating, General, Miscellaneous outdoor, Tables and dining sets
3. Select an option from the Product dropdown menu.
4. Your search results will automatically display.

To search for timber species

Use this search to check whether your favourite timber species is credibly certified or to find an alternative timber. The search includes colour samples so you can find good wood in your choice of colour.  

1. Go to the timber species search.
2. Search by common name or Latin name by checking the corresponding button.
3.  Select your timber species from the alphabetical List from dropdown menu.
4. In the Species dropdown, choose the timber species.

Good Wood Guide product rating system; What do green and amber mean?

Our Good Wood Guide rates timber species and products using a colour system of green and amber. Here is a guide to what these colours mean:

GREEN   = Excellent Use this timber every time.

1. Certified or verified recycled, reused, and urban salvaged
2. FSC-certified forests, plantations, woodlots or agro/farm forestry enterprises
3. Certified or verified ecotimber from Melanesian community ecoforestry projects

AMBER = In transition to 'green'.Use when 'green' timber is not available.

• stepwise schemes to FSC e.g. TFT, SmartWood SmartStep,
• timber and wood products certified or verified 'non-controversial' sources (1).

This will include FSC Controlled Wood, CSA certified, but not including MTCC, BRIK, PEFC, AFS and ISO.

• credible 3rd party verified legal such as Smart Wood VLC,
• verified 'community' small-scale sawn timber,
• verified plantation wood with commitment to move to certification,
• NZ plantation grown eucalyptus, other hardwoods, and Cypress spp,
• non-verified recycled, reused and urban salvage, and
• timber and wood products with NZ Environmental Choice certification.

When you shop, you make a difference

Thank you for being a responsible timber consumer. Your buying decisions will protect the world's remaining intact forests, help save the climate and  save forest communities.

Please note that the ratings refer only to the products you search for. There are companies in this guide who are stocking legal and responsible products as well as suspected illegal timber such as non-certified or verified kwila. Make sure you ask for the specific Good Wood product. This guide does not list products from illegally or destructively logged sources.

Beyond search results: Using the Good Wood decision tree

The decision tree is a list of questions designed to help you gain accurate information on a product's status from your local timber supplier. Use it as checklist to help your source good wood from suppliers not listed in our Good Wood Guide.

Download and print our good wood decision tree

Suppliers: Find out how to get into the Good Wood Guide

(1)  As defined by the FSC 'Controlled Wood Standard': not from an area converted from natural forest, GMO trees, an illegal source, a source threatening High Conservation Value Forests, or a source where civil or traditional rights are violated. Verification may be 2nd or 3rd party.