"Underwater logging is the process of logging trees from underwater forest. It is expected that underwater logging will significantly increase in the coming years as the amount of flooded forests continue to grow due to dam construction and the availability of sophisticated underwater logging technology. Concerns about potential negative effects of underwater logging, like degradation of water quality and disturbed fish habitat, have led to the demand for sustainability criteria and certification system that can control underwater logging.

Forest certification is a voluntary market-based instrument to promote sustainable forest management (SFM). Although, large areas of forests have been certified against different certification schemes in British Columbia, there has been a recent slowdown in the uptake of forest certification due to a number of factors, including a lack of awareness. Architects and builders have a key role in creating or translating demand for certified products due to their position in the value chain for forest products as they are could be both buyers and sellers of certified products.