Nordic Softwood and Sustainable Lifestyle
Using softwood is an important part of sustainable lifestyle. If we manage forests reasonably and prefer wood products, we develop a healthy and warm environment within our immediate surroundings and also contribute to environment conservation in the broad sense.
Wood is the only renewable building material.
Widespread use of wood as a construction material helps to eliminate CO2 that has been emissioned to the environment as a result of burning fossil fuels. When young trees are still growing fast they bind carbon dioxide from the air through the photosynthesis process. As growth is slowing down (when the plant is mature) the biomass grows slower and less CO2 is bound. When the plants die and decompose, CO2 is released again.
When we use wood for construction and for making furniture and other products, we remove it from the growing and decomposing circulation, and as a result the carbon used by the plant for growing is bound into these products for a long period of time. When we remove wood from circulation, we remove carbon dioxide from circulation.
Much less energy is used for making wood products than in case of many other materials. Most of the energy comes from burning wood residues, not fossil fuels.
Besides, when the life of a wood product ends, it can be used for producing heat that people need for their everyday life, and so even more fossil fuels can be economised.
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