When it comes to homes, schools, offices and other buildings, wood is a renewable and sustainable choice of building material. The benefits of wood construction reflect the important role working forests play in both protecting the environment and sustaining rural communities. 

Wood production consumes less energy, emits fewer greenhouse gases, releases fewer pollutants, stores more carbon and generates much less water pollution compared with other building materials like steel and concrete.

Most homes in North America are built with wood, and now more tall buildings are being constructed using mass timber products. Wood is safe, durable and beautiful.

WOOD IS A NATURAL, RENEWABLE RESOURCE

Wood grows naturally and is a renewable product of sustainably managed working forests. After trees are harvested and made into a multitude of different wood products, we replant the forest and start the cycle over again. Our timberlands operations and wood products facilities also provide important, stable jobs in rural economies.

WOOD PRODUCTS STORE CARBON

Trees need carbon dioxide to grow. As they grow, trees take in carbon dioxide from the air and store the carbon in the trunk, limbs, roots and leaves. When we harvest trees at their peak of growth and turn them into wood products, such as lumber, we lock in the carbon and then replant new trees to store more carbon. It's an ever-increasing equation. 

The wood products we made in 2018 stored more than 9 million metric tons of CO2, equivalent to the amount of emissions from the energy used in one million homes in one year (based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator). 

WOOD PRODUCTS HAVE LESS EMBODIED ENERGY

Trees grow by harnessing the energy of the sun. Independent life-cycle assessments substantiate the low energy intensity of wood products compared with the energy-intensive processes required to mine and manufacture other building materials. Wood buildings tend to last longer than buildings made of concrete and steel, which keeps materials out of landfills and use less resources over time.  


THE BENEFITS OF BUILDING WITH WOOD

Through responsible management, our working forests make an important contribution to addressing climate change through carbon capture while providing a perpetual supply of timber. 

This video highlights the many benefits of building with wood and shows how relying on our working forests for wood products benefits the environment in the long run.


INNOVATIVE WOOD BUILDINGS

Architects and developers are increasingly exploring the possibilities of wood in taller buildings around the world. Innovations in building design and forest products using engineered wood products offer new opportunities for wood construction.

Can you imagine a wooden skyscraper? Mass timber construction includes a variety of products that provide structural performance, carbon efficiency and resilience while linking urban sustainability solutions to rural economies. 

Our engineered wood products can complement mass timber construction for tall wood buildings and we are working alongside many partners to encourage the use of mass timber and engineered wood products in new and innovative buildings. 

We are a strong advocate for the Timber Innovation Act and its advancement of tall wood buildings. We believe in a future where architects, designers and engineers leverage wood’s sustainability and durability.

Interested in better understanding the amazing opportunities of building taller buildings with wood? Think Wood is a great place to start. 

OUR PRODUCTS AND GREEN BUILDING

Our wood products enable our customers to meet their sustainable building objectives, including being eligible for credits under major green-building standards, such as LEED®Green Globes® and the National Green Building Standard™. To help understand which of our products fit into the many different green building programs, we publish a summary report and ensure regular updates as our products or the programs change. We also offer software and support services to help builders meet the requirements of these standards and build buildings more efficiently. 

  • Using our products for LEED points

    All our wood products can help builders and architects achieve LEED designation for their buildings. Through the alternate compliance path, products with SFI® fiber sourcing certification count as legal, responsible, and, with SFI chain of custody certification, as certified. Find more information on the Sustainable Forestry Initiative's website.
  • Providing certified products for green homes

    We were the first product line to receive a “green” designation from Home Innovation Research Labs. Today, many of our wood products and software solutions are certified for use under the National Green Building Standard.
  • Medium density fiberboard to the green rescue

    Our Glacier Green™ and Glacier Clear™ MDF products  meet a wide range of green and sustainable product standards, including SFI Certified Sourcing, California Air Resources Board ATCM 93120, Eco-Certified Composite Standard 4-11, LEED, Green Globes, and the ICC 700-2015 National Green Building Standard.
  • Reducing waste on building sites

    Our innovative construction techniques, such as NextPhase Site Solutions, can reduce job-site waste by optimizing design, material cuts and assembly. Builders using NextPhase can receive credits under major green-building standards, including the National Green Building Standard and LEED for Homes.