Is Timber a Renewable Resources?

Recyclable, biodegradable and capable of storing vast amounts of carbon, timber is one of the about sustainable building materials – merely merely when harvested responsibly. Though typically considered renewable due to the power of trees to regrow over a period of time, forests must be well-managed to ensure this proves true. Since 2000, the UK has experienced a 13% decrease in tree embrace. Not only does deforestation contribute to climate change, but information technology also reduces biodiversity and erodes the soil. Conspicuously, replenishing and renewing our forests is a global imperative.

NORclad provides a comprehensive range of timber cladding products with excellent environmental credentials. We partner with architects, self-builders and contractors all over the Uk delivering acme quality results for projects of all scales.

In this blog, we explain everything you lot need to know about timber as a renewable material and why sustainable sourcing is vital.

What is a Renewable Resource?

A renewable resource can exist divers every bit an economically valuable natural substance that is replaced every bit quickly as information technology is used, or within a reasonable time period. It is frequently considered similar to a menstruum resource, except here the substance is replenished with no man intervention, east.one thousand., sunlight, wind. A renewable resources, on the other paw, may be replaced through active human intervention such as the replanting of felled trees.

Related: Examples of Eco-Friendly Building Materials

Is Wood a Renewable Resources?

Wood is technically renewable; trees that have been cut downwardly can be replaced with new trees. Yet, to be truly renewable, a resource must be replaced within the same timescale it is being used upward – otherwise its reserves volition be reduced. That's why timber isn't renewable unless it is sourced from sustainable, responsibly managed forests.

With hardwood, resource-use needs to be especially well-managed, as certain species often take over 100 years or fifty-fifty longer to reach total maturity and become suitable for logging. Softwood is mostly easier to manage, with faster growth and higher yields. Softwood species besides sequester more carbon than hardwood varieties over comparable time periods. If sustainability is integral to your project, therefore, using softwood or even reclaimed timber might be the best choice.

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Sustainable Timber Certifications

In that location are a range of certifications that aim to assist businesses and consumers identify sustainable timber. Below, we outline the two nearly important to look out for.

FSC

The Forest Stewardship Quango (FSC) is an NGO that promotes responsible forest management in accord with x key principles. The certification confirms that the wood in question has been sourced from a forest that replenishes and replants felled trees and preserves biodiversity. The certification system covers over 200 million hectares of forest and analyses forestry procedures in line with strict environmental, social and economic standards.

PEFC

PEFC stands for Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. It'due south the name for a global non-profit brotherhood of national forest certification systems. PEFC operates equally an umbrella make incorporating a multifariousness of certification schemes. Similar FSC, PEFC allows forest managers to showcase their responsibility and consumers to choose renewable timber. PEFC chain of custody is a standard that aims to constitute links at every phase of the supply concatenation, tracking the journey of forest from forest to finished product. This supply chain visibility and transparency is crucial to safeguard sustainability in the forest industry.

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Why Use Renewable Timber

Anyone embarking on a timber cladding or construction project should ensure they only piece of work with renewable timber to protect the natural globe and preserve resources. Beneath, we outline 4 key impacts of non-renewable and non-sustainable forestry on the environment.

Deforestation

Deforestation is the process of clearing a wide area of forest. This has been done throughout human history either to obtain wood for fuel or construction, or to open up land for agriculture. In fact, the global number of trees has fallen by 46% since the first of human civilisation according to some estimates. Deforestation is driven by a range of factors, including developing global infrastructure which is making even remote forests increasingly accessible. As well every bit this, in that location is the rise of slash-and-burn agriculture. This refers to when forests are burned to fertilise the land. However, this fertility only lasts for a short period of time, afterward which the farmers must move on to the side by side patch of forest, leaving devastation in their wake.

Carbon Dioxide

Copse are carbon sinks, absorbing vast amount of CO2 from the atmosphere. That's one of the reasons why it is such an environmentally friendly edifice material. However, clearing, disturbing or burning trees releases carbon dioxide and contributes to climatic change. In fact, WWF contends that forest loss and damage are the crusade of ten% of global warming. Choosing to buy only timber that is replenished with new trees means forest cover across the world is assured and continues to hold onto its carbon shop.

Soil Erosion

Copse that are cut down and not replaced threaten the soil too – in fact, it'south a master cause of soil erosion. Root networks ballast the soil and shelter it from the elements. When the land is exposed, it can be more easily washed or blown away. Moreover, the remaining plant life and vegetation is more than at risk of fires. This is because the surround has been fundamentally altered from a moist, sheltered habitat to a dry, open up one.

Biodiversity

Forests contain fourscore% of the world's known terrestrial plants and beast varieties. Even 1 kilometre of forest tin can exist domicile to more than ane,000 species. Commercial forests that are not managed in a responsible fashion threaten the local biodiversity by reducing the habitats and food available. Every bit a result, felling trees can unbalance an ecosystem by favouring different species which can keep to boss, east.thou., grazing animals and heliophytes or light-loving plants.

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