PRODUCT Spotlight By Southern Pine Forest Products
DECKS AND OTHER outdoor living structures are a leading market for pressure treated southern pine. (Photo by LTDecks.com)
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Drive sales and sustainability with southern pine
he world is changing faster than ever, and the built environment has the potential to play a critical role in climate change solutions. Between the housing availability crisis, global climate change and ambitious decarbonization goals, one thing remains clear: protecting the environment for the benefit of future generations has never been more important. Wood construction is a sustainable solution to environmental challenges. In fact, maximizing the use of wood products in both residential and commercial construction could remove 21 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year. That’s a significant positive impact from simply making a smarter and more sustainable building material choice. Building with southern pine and other wood products is a simple strategy for reducing carbon at every stage of the supply chain.
Sustainable Forest Management
As trees grow, they remove and store carbon from the atmosphere. Sustainable forest management increases carbon storage capabilities by harvesting mature trees that grow slowly and replacing them with younger trees. More softwood lumber is grown each year in the Southern United States than is harvested, making it a sustainable and reliable building material that minimizes environmental impacts.
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Waste-Free Manufacturing
Producing wood products is essentially a waste-free endeavor; every part of the tree is used. Instead of heading to the landfill, waste material like bark, trims and sawdust is used as an energy source to help power wood production facilities. Wood products also require less energy to create than other building materials, generating fewer greenhouse gasses and using less fossil fuel during the entire manufacturing process.
Decreased Transportation Costs
Domestically-harvested and processed timber incurs a fraction of the transportation costs and environmental impacts associated with imports. Traveling down the road or across the state takes far fewer resources and much less time than shipping in timber around the globe. Using locally sourced southern pine lumber simplifies the chain of custody, making it easier to trace building materials from the forest all the way to the finished product.
Carbon Sequestration
Building with wood products helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions through the carbon sequestration process. All wood products store carbon for the duration of their usable life—so everything from wood furniture to 2x4s to mass Building-Products.com
