Sustainable

Most timber harvested for the building industry originates from plantations and managed forests. These can be regrown through a sustainable cycle of replanting and responsible management, making timber a renewable building resource compared to finite construction materials.

Carbon Neutral

Trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere throughout their lives, helping restore balance. When trees are logged, almost all of this carbon is trapped within the timber forever and, despite the energy used to log, process and deliver it, the timber used for building captures more carbon than is used in its production – making it the only carbon-neutral building material.

Energy Used in Production

The energy used throughout a product’s life cycle is significantly lower for timber than other building materials. Energy usage for extraction, harvesting, transport, manufacture and building show that alternative building materials eclipse timber in energy required as follows: bricks x 4, concrete x 5, glass x 6, steel x 24 and aluminium x 126.

Insulation

Timber has the best insulation properties of any common construction material: it’s 5 x more effective than concrete, 10 x better than bricks, and 250 x better than steel.

Source: Wood for Good