Benefits of Wood

Canfor promotes the environmental benefits of wood, and is a leader in finding new ways to build with wood and in the evolution of building codes to encourage the use of wood products.

We know that individuals, companies and governments around the world are finding that use of wood is an effective means to improve the environmental performance of the buildings they construct.

Wood is the only major building product that is natural, renewable, and stores carbon throughout its life cycle. Furthermore, the environmental benefits are strengthened when the wood comes from a company like Canfor that utilizes wood manufacturing technology and sustainable forest practices, backed by third-party forest certification.

In developed countries, buildings represent about 35% to 40% of the total national energy consumption and a similar percentage of total national carbon emissions. Greening our buildings is a critical element in the quest for sustainability and the fight against climate change.

Advances in wood science and building technology, adopted through modern building codes, allow wood to be used in an increasingly broad range of non-residential, multi-storey and longer-span buildings and applications. Canfor supplied wood for 18-storey Brock Commons, a student residence in Vancouver that will soon be the world’s tallest wood building. In addition to traditional wood and timber-frame construction and finishing applications, there’s a role for wood in every project.

Green building standards that scientifically analyze product impacts using life cycle assessment reward wood use for its dramatic benefits on improving green building performance.

Truly nature’s building material, wood is the clear sustainable choice.