VICTORIA – A new booklet
released today will inform global markets and consumers about B.C. forests and
how they produce renewable, climate-friendly products that sequester carbon, Forests
and Range Minister Pat Bell announced today.
“Climate change is
the biggest challenge of our generation,” said Bell. “But it is also the biggest opportunity
our forest sector has ever seen. Whether it is using wood waste for bioenergy,
generating carbon credits from intensive silviculture, or expanding the use of wood in construction, we
need to send a clear message around the world that B.C.’s forests are an
integral part of solving this global challenge.”
The
booklet – titled Tackle Climate Change, Use Wood – highlights forest industry
accomplishments with respect to climate change. It examines the environmental
attributes of Canadian forest products – wood, pulp and paper, and residues –
and was produced by B.C.’s Forestry Innovation Investment Ltd., the Forest
Products Association of Canada and the B.C. Forestry Climate Change Working
Group.
“People want to do the right thing and are interested in
reducing their impact on the planet,” said Ric Slaco, chair of the B.C.
Forestry Climate Change Working Group. “They want products that have a lighter
carbon footprint and come from responsible and sustainable sources. When we
point out the benefits of using B.C. wood products, we’re making it easier for
them to make the climate-friendly choice.”
The booklet provides science-based facts such as:
- Carbon storage: A typical
2,400-square-foot wood-framed house contains 29 metric tonnes of carbon.
This is the equivalent of offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions from
driving a car over five years (about 12,500 litres of gasoline).
- Lighter footprint:
Substituting a cubic metre of wood for concrete blocks or bricks can save
0.75 to 1 tonne of carbon dioxide.
- Lighter footprint:
Production of a steel-framed home consumes 17 per cent more embodied
energy and releases 14 per cent more air pollutants than a wood-framed
home.
- Lighter footprint:
Production of a concrete-framed home consumes 16 per cent more embodied
energy and releases 23 per cent more air pollutants than a wood-framed
home.
- Energy efficiency: With
lots of tiny air pockets, the cellular structure of wood improves its
natural thermal efficiency, making it 400 times better than steel and 10
times better than concrete in resisting the flow of heat. Steel and
concrete structures need more insulation to achieve the same thermal
performance as wood framing.
A copy of Tackle Climate Change, Use Wood is available for
download from www.bcforestinformation.com/building-green/climate-change/.
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