Wood: A Renewable Resource
Using wood makes sense for so many reasons! Planet friendly wood products from Canadian forests are an environmentally responsible choice for building.Wood products sequester more carbon dioxide than is emitted during harvesting, transportation, and manufacturing. This means wood products actually have a negative greenhouse gas footprint! Wood is a natural choice when it comes to climate change because:
Wood products continue to store the carbon sequestered by trees, keeping it out of the atmosphere. When trees are converted into wood products, such as furniture and homes, much of the sequestered carbon is stored in those products indefinitely—which keeps it out of the atmosphere. A wood product will hold the carbon for the duration of its lifetime, and even longer if the product is later recycled for another use.
Using more wood in building results in less fossil fuel consumption and fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Life cycle assessment studies show that using wood instead of energy-intensive materials such as steel, concrete or plastics significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and will help decrease reliance on fossil fuels. Building with wood is an environmentally responsible choice.
Wood products are durable and adaptable.
The demand for resources will continue to increase as populations grow and the standard of living rises in many regions of the world. We can lighten this environmental load by relying more on renewable resources that grow.
Make the planet friendly choice! Canadian wood is:
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Wood products continue to store the carbon sequestered by trees, keeping it out of the atmosphere. When trees are converted into wood products, such as furniture and homes, much of the sequestered carbon is stored in those products indefinitely—which keeps it out of the atmosphere. A wood product will hold the carbon for the duration of its lifetime, and even longer if the product is later recycled for another use.Using more wood in building results in less fossil fuel consumption and fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Life cycle assessment studies show that using wood instead of energy-intensive materials such as steel, concrete or plastics significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and will help decrease reliance on fossil fuels. Building with wood is an environmentally responsible choice.Wood products are durable and adaptable.
After decades or even centuries of use, wood buildings can be easily adapted or deconstructed and reused, which means they can continue to store carbon indefinitely. The world is full of examples of ancient, wood-frame buildings that remain structurally sound. Extended service life is one of the major advantages wood offers as a building material.
The demand for resources will continue to increase as populations grow and the standard of living rises in many regions of the world. We can lighten this environmental load by relying more on renewable resources that grow.
Make the planet friendly choice! Canadian wood is:
RenewableWood literally does grow on trees! With proper sustainable forest management, our Canadian forests will continue to produce more wood indefinitely.ReusableAfter decades or even centuries of use, wood can still be reused in new buildings. Wood from barns, timber frames, etc. can be reclaimed for new purposes.RecyclableThere is virtually no waste in wood product manufacturing; bark, sawdust and chips are used for the manufacturing of MDF or finger-jointed lumber or are burned as carbon-neutral biofuel in place of fossil fuel.Sequestering carbonAs trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide and store it, preventing it from being released back into the atmosphere. Carbon remains stored in wood and even in some paper products.From sustainable forestsCanada has the most protected forest in the world. Over 500 million seedlings are planted each year across the country, and harvested forests are promptly regenerated.Abundant and availableSince 1990, Canada’s rate of deforestation is virtually zero (NRCan 2008a). Canada retains nearly 90% of its original forest cover (CCFM 2006b, WRI 2007). |
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Cost effectiveWood products require less energy to extract, process and transport than steel or concrete, and wood-framed buildings are more energy-efficient, costing less to construct and operate over time.A natural insulatorWood is 400 times better than steel and 10 times better than concrete in resisting the flow of heat. Wooden buildings require much less insulation to retain their warmth.BeautifulWood is a warm and comforting material that creates a welcoming environment and provides a tangible connection to nature and the outdoors. Wood offers an authentic aesthetic appeal that no other material can produce.BiodegradableWood is an all-natural product. Not only can a wood product be reused and recycled in many ways, but at the end of its life it will return to the earth with minimal environmental impact.Lightweight and strongThe strength and durability of wood is evident in the many wooden heritage buildings worldwide. Wooden buildings like Norway's beautiful Stave churches are still structurally sound and are still in use today, centuries after being built. |
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Did You Know?
A typical North American wood-frame home stores about 29 tonnes of carbon dioxide - the equivalent of driving a passenger car for more than five years -using about 12000 litres of gasoline.
Wood and Climate Change, FPInnovations
Related Information
Chapter 7: Using Wood Products to Reduce Global Warming
Oregon Forests, 2006
www.oregonforests.org
Full Report: Forests, Carbon, and Climate Change
CORRIM, 2006
www.corrim.org
Global Climate Change: Forestry Never Looked so Cool
California Forests, 2006
www.calforests.org
Bamboo Flooring - Environmental Silver Bullet or Faux Savior?
Dovetail Inc, 2005
www.dovetailinc.org
