Environment - Benefits of Wood

Wood is by far the most environmentally friendly construction material. Not only is it a renewable resource, it is a recycling one. This is vital if we are to preserve our resources and minimize our global environmental impact. Buildings constructed of wood benefit from wood’s superior insulating properties. Wood helps to minimize energy consumption as it relates to both embodied energy and energy used over the life of a building.

A study by the Canadian Wood Council compares the life cycle impacts of three 2,400 square foot homes designed primarily in wood, steel and concrete, over the first 20 years of their lifespans. Relative to the wood design, the steel and concrete designs:

• Release 24% and 47% more air pollution
• Produce 8% and 23% more solid wastes
• Use 11% and 81% more resources
• Emit 34% and 81% more greenhouse gases
• Discharge 4 and 3.5 times more water pollution

These differences may seem small until one realizes that only a small portion of the materials in the house (by weight) are involved in framing. The impact can be expected to be many times larger whan components made from different materials are compared directly.

Life cycle assessment (or CCA) is an essential part of green building because it offers an objective and consistent way to measure the environmental impacts of building materials and assemblies.