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BENEFITS OF WOOD
Wood surpasses steel and concrete in the following categories:
- Energy use
- Resource use
- Pollution
- Environment impact
- Green Building
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Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Typical Western Red Cedar Siding
Issued April 2011 Valid until April 2016
- This EPD addresses products from multiple manufacturers and represents an average for the membership of the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (WRCLA), a non-profit trade association representing manufacturers of western red cedar products. This average is based on a sample that included two lumber mills in British Columbia (BC), Canada and three remanufacturing mills (two in BC and one in Washington State USA), which represented 12% and 18% of western red cedar lumber and siding production respectively in 2007.
To download and view the complete study click here |
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Typical Western Red Cedar Decking
Issued April 2011 Valid until April 2016 - This EPD addresses products from multiple manufacturers and represents an average for the membership of the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (WRCLA), a non-profit trade association representing manufacturers of western red cedar products. This average is based on a sample that included two lumber mills in British Columbia (BC), combined with recent secondary data on western red cedar resource extraction from the Athena Institute. The total data represents 20% of western red cedar decking production in the year 2007.
To download and view the complete study click here |
Energy Use - Wood products require much less energy to produce than concrete or steel. An independent comparison of the energy needed to obtain, manufacture, transport and install building materials for identical wood frame, steel frame and concrete houses proves wood's environmental superiority over alternative materials. The result is more fossil fuels saved with less air and water pollution.
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Although wood products make up 47% of all raw materials manufactured in the United States, its share of energy consumption during manufacturing is only 4%. |
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Results show that the manufacture of wood materials use 53% less energy than steel and 120% less energy than concrete. |
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Resource Use -
As the world's only renewable building material, wood can not only be recycled, but regenerated as well.
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North American Forests have grown 20% since 1970. |
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Pollution -
Wood product manufacturing produces far fewer greenhouse gases.
Environmental Impact - Wood has the lowest impact on air and water quality. This is especially true when compared to the manufacture of recycled steel. Forest regeneration also creates more trees which benefit the environment while they grow, taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.
Green Building
As the interest in "Green Building" grows, building rating systems such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) have emerged as one way to rate the environmental impact of construction. These rating systems are founded on the four guiding principles of green building:
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