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Dry, moisture-free wood is about 50% carbon by weight. So if the panelised timber frame superstructure for an rectangular two storey house of 150m2 is approxim
by abraae 8y ago
Dry, moisture-free wood is about 50% carbon by weight.
So if the panelised timber frame superstructure for an rectangular two storey house of 150m2 is approximately 14 metric tonnes, you're locking up 7 tonnes of carbon for the life of the building (minus of course the carbon emitted to plant, prune, fell, transport, mill, treat, get the wood to site, install it etc.).
If you can use more timber through the construction, all the more effect.
- luckydata 8y agoDoesn't the same amount of carbon stays locked the same in a tree in the ground? I don't understand why building with wood helps in this case. There's plenty of space to grow more trees...
- abraae 8y agoThere's not an infinite amount of space to grow trees actually. A decent forest needs the right climate, water. Economically forestry must compete with other land uses such as grazing, orchardry, etc. It takes pinus radiata about 25 years to reach maturity. Then it can be turned into buildings/ houses, and the carbon locked up in that structure, which can be e.g in the city or suburbs- somewhere there will never be suitable for forestry. And then the forest can be replanted and the virtuous cycle begins again. tldr; locking carbon up in timber gives more flexibility than just relying on standing forests.
- chrisseaton 8y agoIf you’re buying the wood then someone is being paid and incentivised to plant more trees to sell next time.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]