WHY WOOD

frontal close-up of beech logs

Wood is a sustainable and renewable resource that has been used as a building material for centuries. Its versatility and durability make it a popular choice for construction, furniture, and other applications. In addition to its functional properties, wood also has significant environmental benefits. Unlike other building materials such as concrete or steel, wood is a natural carbon sink, meaning it stores carbon as it grows.

Wood is rapidly becoming the most important building material of the future. One of the oldest building materials used by mankind, wood has exceptional functional characteristics, but its environmental benefits have come into focus as the world is making efforts to reduce the share of carbon in the atmosphere and slow down climate change.

Sustainably managed, wood is a renewable material that grows through the miraculous process of photosynthesis:

6CO2 + 12H2O → solar energy → C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H2O

with the help of solar energy and water the plant absorbs / removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and thus creates organic matter with the release of oxygen.

Wood products store carbon that has been removed from the air by growing trees, making them a long-term carbon repository. Building with wood fights the greenhouse effect, does not involve the consumption of limited resources, and reduces energy consumption.

pictogram of process of photosynthesispictogram of cell process of photosynthesis
„Every cubic metre of wood used as a substitute for other building materials reduces CO2 emissions to the atmosphere by an average of 1,1 t CO2. If this is added to the 0,9 t of CO2 stored on average in wood, each cubic metre of wood saves a total of 2 t CO2.
Based on these figures, a 10% increase in the percentage of wooden houses in Europe would produce sufficient CO2 savings to account for about 25% of the reductions prescribed by the Kyoto Protocol“.
Europanel, Tackle Climat Change, 2007.

Increasing the use of wood in construction can cut the use of other construction materials from non-renewable sources, which in turn will reduce carbon emissions.

„Substituting a cubic metre of wood for other construction materials (concrete, blocks or bricks) results in the significant average of 0.75 to 1 t CO2 savings.”
International Institute for Environment and Development, Using Wood Products to Mitigate Climate Change, 2004

Since its foundation, Exportdrvo has strongly promoted the use of wood, either as a building material or in the form of finished products. Our mission is to strengthen sustainable management, combat climate change and establish new environmental standards.

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