The Wood User's Guide to Green Building - California Redwood ...

Wood and Greenhouse Gases — What is Greener than Wood?At the same time, the carbonabsorbed by the harvested treesgets stored for the long-termin lumber, furniture and otherproducts.According to the U.S.Environmental ProtectionAgency, it is estimated that eachyear, forests in the United Statesremove the greenhouse gasesemitted by 139 million cars.In addition to pulling carbonout of the air while they grow,managed forests also help reducethe amount of carbon releasedinto the atmosphere by controllingfuel loads. That lowers the threatof catastrophic wildfires that spewmillions of tons of greenhousegases into the air every year.Renewable, recyclable wood is a greenbuilding material excellent for residential andcommercial construction.Some consumers fear thatusing more wood will lead todeforestation. While tropicaldeforestation is a significantcontributor to greenhousegas emissions, deforestation isnot an issue in California orelsewhere in the United States.“The arguments to promote “local food” areno more or less valid when considering one’sconsumption of wood products. Forestryremoves carbon and conserves resources moreefficiently in California than in most cornersof the globe.”— Dr. Keith Gilless, University of California - Berkeley12