Wood: the Good, the Bad, and the “Neutral”

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When I think of trees, an image of a vast diverse forest comes to mind where all sorts of biological specimens may reside. As far as I am concerned, trees only bring good about the earth. They clean the air for us, they provide wood for us, they even contribute to the beauty of which many find during autumn. So what exactly do I mean by “the Good, the Bad, and the ‘Neutral’”? Well, let’s find out!

The Good, the Bad, and the Neutral:

Did you know that wood can sequester large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere? Well, what exactly does this mean? As trees grow, they take in carbon (carbon dioxide, CO2) from the atmosphere and trap it within themselves. This is called sequestration. And for the most part, this is a great benefit of wood and lumber products! Trees play a game of cat and mouse with the atmosphere in the transfer of said carbon. As old trees die and release the carbon they’ve stored, the atmosphere then retakes this carbon. As new trees grow, they then take back the carbon from the atmosphere, thus creating a system of debt and repayal, which is called the carbon cycle. This exchange of carbon between the trees and the atmosphere is referred to as carbon neutrality because the carbon never disappears but is only ever repurposed. After the lifecycle of the wood products has been completed, the carbon that was once trapped within becomes released; however, the more trees we plant, the possibility for long-term sequestration increases greatly.

Well, what else makes wood “good and bad”? Let’s take a look at how wood is utilized in construction. Wood construction contributes to significantly fewer amounts of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions than typical steel and concrete construction, which is so widely used in the United States today. Large amounts of GHG are emitted during lumber production processes. This includes the outputs and consumptions of the machinery used to cut trees down, as well as the machinery used to cut and process the final material. It is important to note that the majority of these emissions take place during the production of lumber products rather than harvesting. With that being said, lumber mills often use every last bit of wood they can find to repurpose. Wood remnants, such as sawdust and chips, left behind at sawmills are often reused for other wood products or are to be burned for energy. This helps minimize the amounts of GHG emissions and energy consumption of the mill, super dope. Since wood is a naturally occurring product of nature, there are many different species and types of wood available to suit any particular function. Just like how there are many different types of wood, there are even more types of fabricated wood products that differ in physical and chemical properties that benefit the consumer greatly. These different treatments can result in entirely different wood products which usually differ in price as a result of extenuating circumstances. Because wood is biological, wooden products are very susceptible to a wide variety of hazards that may affect the product during its lifetime. Some of these hazards include rot, infestation, and fungal infections. As a result, wood can be treated using a wide selection of different methods in order to help reduce the risk of some of these hazards, ultimately prolonging the life-time of these products.

As we can see there are many benefits for wood use, but there are also some negatives that tag along. Depending on what wood products you use for your next project, keep in mind some of these points: What types of wood are you using? Where is your wood from? Is it sustainably and ethically sourced? How might you be able to reduce negative impacts on the environment?

• 10 Nov, 2020
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