Use
Using wood benefits the environment.
Using wood in place of fossil fuel intensive building materials such as cement and steel benefits the environment.
Using wood as a renewable source of bioenergy reduces dependence on fossil fuels, resulting in less unrecoverable carbon dioxide emissions. Bioenergy is renewable, and has far less of an impact on the environment than fossil fuel use.
Wood construction products have been found in international studies to be less contaminating to water and air than metal and concrete. Wood structures use less energy for manufacturing and are associated with fewer carbon dioxide emissions than brick and tile, concrete and cement buildings.
Wood is also an excellent source of energy. Woody biomass is a sustainable and renewable energy source that can easily provide heat when burnt as fuel. It can substitute for fossil fuels and electricity when these are used for space heating and hot water heating.
When used as a substitute for fossil fuels, replacement trees will reabsorb the carbon dioxide emissions.
Woody biomass has the potential to produce 8% of New Zealand’s energy needs by 2010 as plantation forests reaching maturity are harvested and processed – making more wood residues available.
Wood is a natural product and is made up of sunlight, water and soil. The production of wood materials requires less energy than other building materials.
A 17% increase in wood usage in the building industry could result in a 1.5% reduction of total energy consumed in New Zealand. This represents a 20% reduction in carbon emissions from the manufacture of all building materials.
Case study
Wood use in New Zealand
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Wood is durable, versatile and attractive material that can be used for a range of different building and design environments, including residential, commercial and public buildings. Wood is also an excellent material for furniture and building components.
Extending stages in the carbon cycle by using wood
There are a number of ways to extend the period between the end of the life of a building structure and the release of carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere from demolition or decay.