Choose wood: How this renewable resource can reduce your footprint

07 August 2024

Emma Lucey

When discussing renewable resources, people generally think first of energy. Renewable energy sources are hugely important, but there are other resources, such as wood, that can assist in reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

What is a renewable resource? 

‘Renewable resources’ include natural resources that can be regrown or replenished for sustainable use. Renewable resources are a part of Earth’s natural environment and can be readily replaced within the timescale they are being used up. 

What kind of wood is renewable? 

 Wood is truly renewable if it’s harvested from a sustainably managed forest. In responsibly managed forests and plantations, harvested trees are replaced. 

In Australian plantations, for example, more seedlings are planted each year than those that have been harvested. Plantation owners plant more than 70 million seedlings across Australia, and native forest managers renew their forests through natural or artificial reseeding. When forests are managed sustainably, the rate of wood consumption does not exceed the rate at which trees grow back, making wood a renewable resource. This is why it’s so important to look for the right certifications when purchasing wood-based products.

Benefits of using wood over other materials 

  Using timber and wood products saves energy and has lower carbon emissions during the production cycle when compared to other common construction and manufacturing materials such as concrete, plastic, or steel. This is particularly relevant to the construction industry, as it’s estimated that eight per cent of global greenhouse emissions come from concrete and cement manufacturing.    

Around 80 per cent of environmental impacts are determined at the design stage, and the first principle of the circular economy is to design out waste and pollution. Finding innovative ways to transition towards greater circularity through design choices such as substituting renewable resources amplifies impacts throughout material cycles.  

The trees that are used to produce wood and timber products release oxygen while storing carbon, a valuable service given the growing impacts of climate change as our atmospheric carbon increases. Australia’s forests alone store around 22 billion tonnes of carbon. Wood continues to store that carbon when used in products and building materials. In fact, the ability to sequester large amounts of carbon offsets some of the carbon emissions generated from the production of a building over its lifespan. Trees also filter water in the ground, clean our air, and do not produce any harmful pollutants while they grow.  

A bonus benefit for decorating with wood is that the feelings of natural warmth and comfort that wood elicits in people have the effect of lowering blood pressure and heart rates, reduces stress and anxiety, and increases positive social interactions. 

By choosing renewable resources like wood, we can reduce our environmental impact, promote a circular economy, and enhance our quality of life.  

To learn more about other benefits of wood visit makeitwood.org/benefits  

Emma Lucey

Emma brings experience in digital media and communications with a background in several industries such as tourism and hospitality. Prior to joining Planet Ark in 2022, Emma spent 5 years living abroad in London & Amsterdam where she developed a greater interest in the environment and sustainability. Outside of work Emma enjoys gardening, camping and crocheting.