Substitution Estimates for Wood Products in the United States, 1990 to 2020

Abstract

Forest carbon stock changes are routinely reported at the national level. Such accounting usually includes carbonsequestered by live trees and stored in living and dead trees, litter, and soil. The carbon stored in harvested wood products(HWPs), while in use and after disposal, may also be reported. However, wood products may provide a further indirectcarbon benefit by providing an alternative to materials that require relatively large inputs of fossil-derived carbon. This"substitution impact" of HWPs is not explicitly considered in national reporting for forest carbon accounts because it is notdirectly comparable with absolute emissions and removals. However, the substitution impact is avoided fossil emissions,which do affect the net climate impact of wood use. Here, we estimate the total substitution impact for wood productsharvested recently from forests in the United States. The total substitution impact is based on reported volumes of nationalwood production and the substitution factors for individual products. The substitution factors are obtained fromcomparative life-cycle assessments of specific wood products and their nonwood alternatives. The total substitution impactfor wood products in the United States in 2020 was 188 TgCO₂ equivalents. Calculation of substitution factors ischallenged by assumptions about the use of wood products and their alternatives and by limited availability of current andspecific life-cycle assessment data; however, our findings indicate that the substitution impact of forest products are arelatively important component of the carbon benefits of wood-based products.

Citation

Taylor, Adam; Hurmekoski, Elias; Brandeis, Consuelo; Domke, Grant. 2024. Substitution Estimates for Wood Products in the United States, 1990 to 2020. Forest Products Journal. 73(4): 362-369. https://doi.org/10.13073/FPJ-D-23-00036.