Using Timber contributes significantly less to the Greenhouse Effect

INFORMATION SHEETS

TIMBER ENVIRONMENT

Too often timber windows and door suppliers are accused of exploiting the environment through logging practices used by saw mills. We hope that the following information may help to explain some current misconceptions that the layperson may have.

• It takes nine times more energy to produce a steel stud as it does to produce a comparable timber stud.

• It takes five times more energy to produce aluminium rather than wood.

• It takes three times more energy to extract and produce a concrete block than to produce its equivalent weight of wood

• Producing a100mm concrete slab floor requires 21 more times energy than producing a timber deck.

GROWING TIMBER

Growing timber absorb CO2 [the greenhouse gas].

A growing tree is a very effective carbon sink. During its growth, carbohydrate is a accumulated by photosynthesis faster than it is metabolised by respiration.

This natural process means a growing tree is a gas chamber, carbon dioxide is absorbed, the carbon “locked” in the wood structure, while oxygen is released into the environment.

Growing trees act as a “wick”, drawing up ground moisture and evaporating it into the atmosphere, humidifying and cooling the climate.

In a mature tree, as growth slows, this process levels off and little CO2 is removed, while fallen decaying trees in old growth forests actually release CO2 into the air.

Trees help reduce CO2 and through carefully controlled forest management we can harvest mature trees replace and replace them with younger faster growing trees and improve the rate of CO2 absorption.

The carbon stored and released by various building materials during their formation are summarised in the following table:

Material	Carbon Released kg/t	Carbon Released kg/m3	Carbon Stored kg/m3
Timber	30	15	250
Steel	700	5320	0
Concrete	50	120	0
Aluminium	8700	22000	0

A steel frame building uses 4,000 times more coal, oil and natural gas to produce than wood.

Aluminium production results in 8 times the air emissions and 300 times the water emissions of lumber production.

The production of concrete emits 2 to3 times more carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons than the production of lumber.

Wood is the only readily renewable natural resource and it is increasing in reserves every year.

Even steel containing 60% recycled material consists of 40% virgin material that was mined from the earth and cannot be replaced.

Timber is one of the few natural building materials. Other advantages include generally timber is not toxic, does not leak chemical vapour into the building and is safe to handle and touch.

As timber ages, it does so naturally and doesn’t break down into environmentally damaging materials.

The synthetic materials industries [plastic, vinyl, etc.] rely on oil and natural gas for 98% of their raw material, and the World Resources Institute estimates reserves of
natural gas will last only 58 years at 1988 production rates.

Due to the renewable nature of timber and the long-life applications it is generally used for, housing, furniture and other products requiring durability, strength and attractiveness.

Timber effectively contributes significantly less to the Greenhouse Effect than other building products alternatives.

Totally biodegradable wood waste accounts for only 7% of the volume of most landfills. Totally NON-biodegradable plastics account for 25 to 30% of landfill.

Extract from an article in March 2005 edition of Joiners Journal published by Window & Doors Industry Council

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