Why wood EPDs vary by species, region, and product type

Wood products vary along several axes at once: species and region (softwood lumber's embodied carbon differs by forestry practice and transport distance), and product type (sawn dimensional lumber is a fundamentally different product from engineered wood like glulam or cross-laminated timber, which add adhesives and a lamination process). This is why the American Wood Council and Canadian Wood Council moved from a single North American softwood lumber EPD to separate regional ones — the earlier average obscured real regional differences.

Key materials typically covered

"Wood & Timber" EPDs span several distinct product types, each generally declared separately:

  • Sawn / dimensional lumber — softwood lumber declared by region (Pacific Coast, Inland Northwest, Southern, Northern)
  • Structural composite lumber — LVL and similar engineered products
  • Plywood and OSB — sheet wood products, distinct from dimensional lumber
  • Engineered wood — glulam and cross-laminated timber (CLT), which involve adhesives and lamination beyond sawing alone

Key standards and PCRs

FPInnovations published the first Product Category Rules for North American architectural and structural wood products in 2011 and continues to maintain the PCR family most North American wood EPDs are built against. In Europe, wood products fall under EN 15804. See Product Category Rules for how to confirm the current, applicable PCR for a specific wood product.

Top EPD program operators for Wood & Timber

Wood-sector EPDs concentrate around a program operator built specifically for this category:

  • FPInnovations — an ISO-compliant EPD program operator since 2011, dedicated to the wood sector and the first to publish North American wood-product PCRs
  • NSF International — also active for some wood-adjacent product types
  • The American Wood Council (AWC) and Canadian Wood Council (CWC) jointly publish regional industry-average EPDs against FPInnovations' PCRs, rather than acting as program operators themselves

Notable producers of Wood & Timber

Regional softwood lumber EPDs (U.S. Pacific Coast, Inland Northwest, Southern, and Northern) are published by the American Wood Council and Canadian Wood Council on behalf of their member producers, alongside product-specific EPDs from individual mills such as Bergene Holm in Europe. Coverage varies by region and product type; check the current AWC/CWC EPD or a specific manufacturer's own published EPD rather than assuming coverage.

Sample EPDs for Wood & Timber

To see what an actual wood EPD looks like, EPD-Global's public registry publishes full documents — for example, Bergene Holm AS's EPD for sawn timber of spruce and pine, searchable by NEPD number. In North America, the American Wood Council and WoodWorks list current wood-product EPDs directly.

How to Get a Wood & Timber EPD: Step-by-Step

Getting an EPD for a lumber or engineered wood product follows the same core process as any other construction product: choosing the applicable FPInnovations-developed PCR, collecting primary production data, building the LCA, and having it independently verified before publication. See How to Get an EPD: Step-by-Step for the full process, or check whether a regional AWC/CWC industry-average EPD already covers your product before pursuing a product-specific one.

Frequently asked questions

Why did AWC and CWC's wood EPDs move to regional versions?

When earlier industry-average EPDs expired in 2025, the American Wood Council and Canadian Wood Council moved to regional EPDs — separate declarations for U.S. Pacific Coast, Inland Northwest, Southern, and Northern softwood lumber — reflecting real differences in regional forestry and milling practices that a single North American average had obscured.

Is engineered wood (glulam, CLT) covered by the same PCR as sawn lumber?

Not necessarily — engineered wood products go through additional processing (adhesives, lamination) beyond sawing, and are often covered by product-specific PCRs distinct from the ones covering dimensional sawn lumber.

Who was first to publish wood product PCRs in North America?

FPInnovations, an ISO-compliant EPD program operator since 2011, published the first Product Category Rules for North American architectural and structural wood products, and has since extended its PCR work to pulp, paper, and paperboard products as well.

Does a wood EPD account for carbon storage in the material itself?

Biogenic carbon storage is typically reported as a separate figure within a wood EPD's LCA, distinct from the fossil-based global warming potential figure used to compare against other materials — worth checking which figure is being cited when comparing wood to non-biogenic products.

Who verifies wood product EPDs?

Predominantly FPInnovations, given its dedicated focus on the wood sector, alongside NSF International for some product types.

Where can I see an example of a real wood or timber EPD?

Public EPD registries such as EPD-Global publish full sawn-timber EPD documents — see Sample EPDs below. The American Wood Council and WoodWorks also list current North American wood-product EPDs directly.

Sources

  • FPInnovations, Product Category Rules for North American Architectural and Structural Wood Products
  • American Wood Council / Canadian Wood Council, regional softwood lumber Environmental Product Declarations
  • EN 15804:2012+A2:2019, Sustainability of construction works — Environmental product declarations — Core rules for the product category of construction products