Timber structures
Case - Published 4.7.2014
Timber construction slows down climate change, as trees trap carbon dioxide from the air during their growth. This is stored in the form of carbon in the tree trunk and, consequently, in the wood components of timber-framed houses. The longer the lifespan of a timber-constructed building, the greater the positive impact of timber construction on the climate.
Did you know: the volume of carbon stored by one timber-constructed single-dwelling house compensates for the amount of emissions caused by one Finnish person flying to New York and back 15 times?
Each day, 100,000 people in the world need a new home. In other words, three billion people will need new homes by 2020. Today, housing construction takes up half of the world’s natural resources, and it also produces 40 percent of all waste. Timber construction is a sound solution to the energy, climate and environmental challenges of housing construction, as the carbon footprint of constructing a timber-framed apartment building is 45 percent lower than an equivalent apartment block made with concrete. The wood components used in timber construction can be recovered for recycling or energy production.
In addition to housing construction, wood is also an excellent material for the construction of commercial, industrial and public buildings.
During the growth season – spring and summer – Finnish forests grow at a rate which makes enough timber for a medium-sized timber-frame apartment building in just over a minute. The volume of timber needed to construct the approximately 30,000 new homes built each year in Finland grows in our forests in the course of one school day.
Metsä Wood’s products are manufactured resource efficiently, saving raw materials and energy and using the best technologies available. The by-products are utilised for pulp manufacturing and bioenergy production at the Metsä Group production facilities.
Watch a video from the world’s most modern sawmill. The new production line at Metsä Wood Vilppula sawmill is highly flexible and efficient. The mill also offers better environmental efficiency and improved conditions for health and safety.
Text and photos are from the info cards in the presentation briefcase on the Finnish forest sector. The idea of a briefcase with various kinds of samples to present this diverse sector came from the young people themselves. The briefcase has been handed out at visits to upper secondary schools.
More information on the briefcase and visits: vilma.issakainen(@)smy.fi and anne.kettunen(@)forestindustries.fi.