A recent article on The Conversation has made the argument that of all the major building materials - concrete, brick, aluminum, steel - wood is by far the most green. The article’s author, Chad Oliver is the Pinchot Professor of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and Director of Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry at Yale University, admits that his conclusion may be counter-intuitive, but insists the evidence is there. The modern building materials that we employ each year are energy intensive to produce and account for 16% of the fuel production for the entire planet. Wood is renewable and only requires a portion of the world’s forestry resources.

1. The Great New Green
Building Material Is…
Wood?
By Jake Glavis

2. • A recent article on The
Conversation has made the
argument that of all the major
building materials - concrete,
brick, aluminum, steel - wood
is by far the most green. The
article’s author, Chad Oliver is
the Pinchot Professor of
Forestry and Environmental
Studies, and Director of Global
Institute of Sustainable
Forestry at Yale University,
admits that his conclusion may
be counter-intuitive, but insists
the evidence is there.

3. !
• The modern building materials that we employ each year are
energy intensive to produce and account for 16% of the fuel
production for the entire planet. Wood is renewable and only
requires a portion of the world’s forestry resources.
!
• Oliver cites his research published in the Journal of Sustainable
Forestry. They estimate that the world’s forest contain 385 billion
cubic meters of wood with an additional 17 billion cubic meters
growing every year. Oliver argues that with a 3.4 billion cubic
meters harvested each year, mostly for fuel, that other building
products for wood would make for renewable building that would
not harm biodiversity if done correctly.

4. • Oliver and his team of researchers have
evaluated scenarios in which wood is burned for
energy, used for construction, or forests are left
untouched. What they found was that the wood
harvested each year accounts for only 20% of
new annual growth. Increasing the wood harvest
by 14% and creating less concrete and steel
would reduce global CO2 by 14-31% and an
annual of 12-19% of fossil fuel consumption
would be saved.

5. • Harvesting forests for wood production only temporarily
disrupts a forest ecosystem, and would ultimately serve to
preserve the forest as a precious natural resource. Placing
emphasis on wood for construction would help to preserve
forests and end the practice of clear cutting and
converting the area to farmland. Oliver notes that new
styles of building construction, such as cross-laminated
tinder, have overcome some of the barriers of working with
wood, making it a viable and green alternative to
traditional modern materials.
!
• To read the original article, head over to The Conversation.