The best way to save forests is to think about your use of wood conscientiously.
There are several ways to eliminate the waste of this precious resource. Have your contractor learn about Optimal Value Engineering and Advanced Framing. They are methods approved by building codes nationwide that use less lumber by design.

Many new resource-saving, less-toxic products have come on the market in place of conventional sources:

• Buy Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified Wood that has third-party oversight to ensure it is grown sustainably for framing
• Use salvaged, recycled wood for framing and cabinetry
• Use formaldehyde-free engineered lumber and/or Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) for framing and walls. It is stronger, and uses less wood harvested from fast growing trees, not old growth forests.
• Replace the use of plywood, particleboard, chipboard, and medium density fiberboard (MDF), for wall boards and cabinetry, with Oriented Strand Board (OSB) and Strawboard/Wheatboard, which is made from waste materials from straw and wheat harvesting with non-toxic binders, and formaldehyde-free MDF
• Use recycled fly-ash gypsum board. Fly ash is a byproduct of the coal industry and recycling the fly-ash avoids environmental damage while preserving natural resources
• Use fast-growing, sustainable resources like bamboo, and Kirei (sorghum) board for shelving and cabinetry
• Use weather-proof composite lumber, made of wood dust from sawmills and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) recycled plastic, for decking
• Use fiber-cement siding instead of wood siding
• Use recycled or reclaimed molding and trims
• Use fast-growth or sustainably-harvested wood trims and moldings such as bamboo or palm. Palm, when a byproduct of the coconut industry and salvaged for trim and molding, is a great environmentally-conscious alternative

     Though better suited for new construction, other alternatives include:

• Steel, a highly reusable resource
• Rammed earth, which has very high insulation values, and a smooth beautiful finished quality
• Straw bale, which is inexpensive and a good insulator, but is not allowed by code in many states. Look into your local building codes.

We recommend you visit:

Forest Stewardship Council
Steel Recycling Institute
California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture
Structured Insulated Panel Association