National Hardwood Magazine - October 2021

NAFF BULLETIN
“HOW WOOD IN SCHOOLS NURTURES LEARNING”
Did you know that more and more, research confirms
that being exposed to natural materials can have positive
effects on our sense of well-being! And, when used in the
classroom, improves learning. #exTREEmelysmart
In a recent article from WoodForGood.com they suggest
that based on studies carried out in Norway, Japan,
Canada and Austria, wood seems to have positive effects
on the emotional state of people.
Environments with wooden structures cause a drop in
blood pressure and pulse and have a calming effect.
Consider these facts, revealed in the same Wood For
Good Article:
1. Each year we spend 90 percent of our time in
buildings or cars.
2. Our surroundings, including buildings still being
designed today can create issues like Seasonal
Affective Disorder (SAD), depression and lung
disease.
3. 90 percent of respondents to a recent survey said
they wanted a home that doesn’t compromise
their health and wellbeing and a third would pay
more for a healthy home.
4. Cognitive abilities increase by 61 percent when
in a green building. This increases to 101 percent
when additional ventilation rates are introduced.
5. A study conducted in 2010 in an Austrian school
compared two ‘timber’ classrooms versus two ‘standard’
classrooms. The benefits for children studying
in the timber classrooms were impressive, their
heart rates were lowered by up to 8600 heartbeats.
6. The children were noticeably more relaxed and it
had a positive effect on their performance too, as
well as, leading to a decreased perception of stress.
7. A Japanese study found exposure to wooden panels
significantly decreases blood pressure, while
exposure to steel panels makes it rise.
8. Workers in offices with wooden interiors conveyed
feelings of innovation, energy and comfort.
Workers in offices without wood conveyed feelings
of their environment being impersonal and uncomfortable.
9. Wood products in a room have also been shown
to improve indoor air quality by moderating humidity.
10.The reason wood has such a good effect on human
health is because of how it lowers the sympathetic
nervous system (SNS) activation. SNS is what
causes stress responses, increases blood pressure,
heart rate and inhibits functions like digesting,
recovery and repair. When surrounded by nature
and wood, these symptoms lower.
As you probably guessed, as a foundation focused on
harvesting the next generation through education, we
find the positive impact wood has on children and learning
significantly important.
In an article from WoodProducts.fi it was shown that
“the favorable psychological effects of wood have been
proven in schools. In classrooms with whole-wood interiors,
the morning stress peak, measured as a variation
in pulse rate, subsided soon after arriving at school and
did not rise again. In a normal control classroom, a mild
level of stress in pupils continued throughout the day.
Their experiences of stress, such as fatigue and feelings
of inefficiency, were less in wooden classrooms than in
normal ones.
Joe Mayo AIA, LEED AP, an architect at Mahlum in Seattle,
focuses on design for education and wood in mass
timber applications.
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BY ALLISON DEFORD,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
NORTH AMERICAN FOREST FOUNDATION,
COLLIERVILLE, TN
901-860-4131
adeford@northamericanforestfoundation.org
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22 OCTOBER 2021 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2021 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 23