Sustainability 2010, 2(2), 604-623; doi:10.3390/su2020604
Article

Natural Resources Management: Life Cycle Assessment and Forest Certification and Sustainability Issues

Thomas J. Straka* email and Patricia A. Laytonemail
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Clemson University, Box 340317, SC 29634-0317, USA
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 22 December 2009 / Accepted: 9 February 2010 / Published: 21 February 2010
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Resources Management: Life Cycle Assessment)
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Abstract: Forest sustainability and forest certification are important natural resource management and environmental issues. Forest certification addresses the social and environmental issues in the acquisition of raw materials (e.g., lumber to be used in the building process). Life cycle assessment is a common technique used in the evaluation of forest sustainability issues and forest certification programs. Life cycle assessment is a tool to evaluate multiple issue environmental and some social impacts attributed to a product or process (e.g., wood as a building material). Inputs (like raw material extraction) and outputs (like pollution) are measured over the entire life process, with a goal to minimize negative environmental impacts over the life cycle of a product or process. The relationship between forest certification schemes and life cycle assessment is examined and assessed.
Keywords: life cycle assessment; forest sustainability; forestry; forest industry; forest certification

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Straka, T.J.; Layton, P.A. Natural Resources Management: Life Cycle Assessment and Forest Certification and Sustainability Issues. Sustainability 2010, 2, 604-623.

AMA Style

Straka TJ, Layton PA. Natural Resources Management: Life Cycle Assessment and Forest Certification and Sustainability Issues. Sustainability. 2010; 2(2):604-623.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Straka, Thomas J.; Layton, Patricia A. 2010. "Natural Resources Management: Life Cycle Assessment and Forest Certification and Sustainability Issues." Sustainability 2, no. 2: 604-623.

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