Increasing sustainable use of the world’s forests would support economic recovery while providing environmentally friendly wood construction materials.
“It is clearer than ever before that the increased utilization of wood products is critical to reducing global greenhouse emissions but only when these products are derived from sustainably managed forests,” OSU’s Rajat Panwar said. “Wood products over their life cycle are linked to lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions than products derived from materials that aren’t renewable.”
He said a review of scientific literature suggests that for every kilogram of carbon in wood products used in construction as opposed to non-wood products, carbon emissions are reduced by about 0.9 kilograms.
Panwar, associate professor of sustainable business management, helped the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization assemble its flagship publication, The State of the World’s Forests. Released this month, the 2022 edition of the biennial report runs 166 pages and is subtitled Forest Pathways for Green Recovery and Building Inclusive, Resilient and Sustainable Economies.
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