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Abstract
Few building materials possess the environmental benefits of wood. It is not only our most widely used building material but also one with characteristics that make it suitable for a wide range of applications. As described in the many chapters of this handbook, efficient, durable, and useful wood products produced from trees can range from a minimally processed log at a log-home building site to a highly processed and highly engineered wood composite manufactured in a large production facility. As with any resource, we want to ensure that our raw materials are produced and used in a sustainable fashion. One of the greatest attributes of wood is that it is a renewable resource. If sustainable forest management and harvesting practices are followed, our wood resource will be available indefinitely.
Keywords
Building materials,
sustainable forestry,
renewable natural resources,
utilization,
buildings,
testing,
environmental engineering,
wooden-frame houses,
dwellings,
wooden building,
architecture,
climate,
energy consumption,
carbon sequestration,
forest products industry,
certification,
wooden-frame buildings,
green products,
wood,
wood technology,
forest resources
Citation
Falk, Robert H. 2010. Wood as a sustainable building material. Wood handbook : wood as an engineering material: chapter 1. Centennial ed. General technical report FPL ; GTR-190. Madison, WI : U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 2010: p. 1.1-1.6.
