Forests, Mass Timber, and Climate Change

This chapter presents how forests, mass timber, and climate change are deeply interconnected in the big picture of the global carbon cycle. It shows how the building sector is a major contributor to energy-related carbon emissions, largely due to its dependence on nonrenewable, fossil-based materials. Efforts to combat climate change have centered on two key strategies: cutting emissions and extracting existing carbon from the atmosphere. The chapter demonstrates how third-party forest certification practices balance responsible harvesting with ecosystem conservation to ensure that mass timber will be a long-term resource for generations to come. Internationally recognized and independently monitored sustainable forest management frameworks are key to safeguarding forest resources. The chapter presents the details of life cycle assessment (LCA). As applied to building materials, LCA traces the flow of materials and energy across various stages of a product's life.