AWARD-WINNING Wallis Joinery is carving out a reputation for using wood from the right trees.

The long-established specialist joinery, based in Hart Street, Maidstone, is the first of its kind in the UK to win Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for joinery manufacture and installation.

Wallis now holds FSC “Chain of Custody” certification identifying the timber it uses as coming from FSC-certified forests. It means that the finished products can be labelled "FSC-certified."

FSC forests are responsibly-managed, independently inspected and certified under the FSC's internationally agreed set of strict environmental, social and economic standards.

It took six months to achieve this recognition and involved the production of a manual showing how FSC timbers would be kept separate from other wood during production. Procedures will be checked twice a year.

Hugh Douglas, Wallis Joinery commercial manager, said: "We are delighted to have this accreditation.

"It means that our clients and professional associates are able to specify and procure timber from us with the confidence that they are not contributing to the destruction of the world's forests.

"And by buying from certified sources, they are helping to provide an incentive in the market place for good forestry practice."

FSC UK director Anna Jenkins said Wallis' s commitment to responsible forestry would set an example for others to follow.