Design Sustainably

As the product of soil, sunlight, air, and water, it’s hard to be any greener than a tree. So, it stands to reason that the most sustainable mainstream building materials available come from trees. Wood’s contribution to green building becomes even greater when you consider its role in sequestering carbon. Trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) and convert it to the food they need to grow. In the process, they release oxygen (O2) back into the atmosphere and store excess carbon inside their wood. This sequestered carbon remains locked inside the wood – even after it becomes part of the built environment – until it’s burned or begins to decay. Composite wood products made with recycled wood fiber lock more of that carbon into products than ever before, while at the same time, new trees are planted to consume greater amounts of CO2.