The role of wood construction on the reduction of environmental degradation
The way European timber constructions can make a decisive contribution to tackling climate change is the special edition of the European Forest Institute entitled “How can wood construction reduce environmental degradation”.
Climate change mitigation efforts have boosted a number of new approaches to product production and distribution but also to construction. These new approaches (circular economy, green procurements, carbon footprint etc.) renew the interest in ideas that have been developed since the 1970s, such as recycling and re-use, or production of new materials in the place of harmful ones. Wood has always been at the heart of these discussions as it is produced with the only energy cost of this harvest. Wood is a handy material which, with proper processing, can have a long life and additional properties, such as low flammability, and can be reused as a fuel.
The publication of the European Forest Institute, with a broad literature overview, presents the advantages of replacing other materials with wooden ones. Big weight is given to the role of wood in tackling climate change. By substituting other materials, wood contributes decisively to the reduction of carbon emissions from the production of materials such as cement, iron and other metals. In addition, wood binds carbon for many years, as wooden products, as a rule, have a long life span.
In addition to the role of wood in relation to climate change, the publication presents the contribution of its use in reducing the volume and weight of waste, through its reuse, soundproofing and heat-insulating properties, but also the beauty of a wooden construction.
Will an increase in use of wood construction impact forests? According to the publication, no. Wood sourcing in the EU builds on the principles of sustainable forest management, which demands logging, in a given time period, less or equal wood volume than the volume produced by the forest during that period. Even under extreme scenarios of replacement of other materials by wood, it is estimated that only 53% of the annual increment would be necessary. The increased demand for timber for construction would boost the production of logs of large diameter, which favors forest ecosystems and increases carbon sequestration.
The publication is available here.