By Lena Babaeva Coradini

More great news from the government agency side of things: "USDA Ramps Up Pro-Wood, Pro-Green Policies." The Department of Agriculture will preferentially select wood in its new building projects, will seek to do more research on green building materials, and will look for ways to show off wood as green building material.

According to USDA's announcement, the department's latest strategy comes in three parts:
1. USFS "will preferentially select wood in new building construction while maintaining its commitment to certified green building standards."
2. Vilsack wants USFS "to examine ways to increase its already strong commitment to green building by reporting to him on ways to enhance the research and development being done around green building materials."
3. USFS "will actively look for opportunities to demonstrate the innovative use of wood as a green building material for all new structures of 10,000 square feet or more using recognized green building standards such as LEED, Green Globes, or the National Green Building Standard."

"Our country has the resources, the work force and the innovative spirit to reintroduce wood products into all aspects of the next generation of buildings," Tidwell said. "As we move forward with restoring America's forests, we are getting smarter and more efficient in how we use wood products as both an energy and green building source, which will help maintain rural jobs."